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Brixton"s Angell wins top prizeARCHITECT Burrell Foley Fischer'S AngellTown Regeneration Scheme was namedthe best brick bui ld ing in the UK at theBrick Developmen t Association's 2002awards.Anqell Town, a public housing project. was

named supreme winne r at an awardceremony at the le Meridien GrosvenorHouse Hotel in london . The judqes wereimpressed by the architect's choice of brickand the way each flat in the former deckaccess estate had been given a ground-levelent rance. and by the careful considerationqlven to access for cars and people.The scheme, which is in Brixton, south

l ondon, was designed in associa tion with itsresidents. The result was the replacementof the uniform, denumenlslnq 1970 estatewith a mix of house types in a clean ,modernist style (seepages 10-12).The Best Structural Use of Brick Award

wen t to a thea tre at Queen Margaret's Schoolin Escrick Park in York . Michael Driver, senio rarchitect at th e BOA. said: "This ref inedbuilding displays an excellen t use of a br ickdiaphragm wall : '

The winners of the other awards were : Best slnqre houseMill Street Studio, Oxford, designed by AdrianJames Architects Best pr ivate houslnq developmentTerrace One, lanark Street. Glasgow,desig ned by McKeown Alexander. Best structural use of brickThea tre at Queen Margaret's School, York,designed by Associated Architects with Peel &Fowler as structural engineer. Best land scape pro jectBarnfield Garden , Henrev-on-rhames.designed by Peter Aldington. Best commercial bulldlnq110 -116 Wigmore Street. central london .designed by Kalyvides Partnership. Best public bulldlnqThe Women's library, east london, designedby Wright & Wright (see pages 6-9). Best r.furb lshment projectWestdown Centre, King Alfred's College.Winchester, designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley. Best prefabricationHanson TiS Modular House. Sustainability

Whiteley Primary School. Farenam , HampshireArchitect : Hampshire County Council Best brickwork special istMarlborouqh Brickwork, leeds. CraftsmanshipThe Park , Meets Dri ve, Hovlake. th e Wirra l,desi gned by Morris Homes (Nor th) . ExportKosei Shoken. Osaka. Japan. The architectwas Yuzo Nagata and Shunji Kitano.The event attracted its biggest ever

audience drawn from a w ide spectrum ofconstruction pro fessionals. The audience hasmore th an doubled from the 200 guests whocame few years ago. Con le nan, Chiefexecutive of the BOA. said: "The doubling insize of our aud ience this year represents aterrific boos t for our industry and reflects t hecontinuinq importance of brick on theconstruction agenda."For the Brick Awards 2002, the BOA

gratefUlly acknowledges the kind sponsorshipof Baggeridge Br ick , Irvine-Whitlock, l ansingunce, RDl Distribution and Readymix. Fordetai ls of t he 2003 Brick awards. call01344-B85651or email brick@brick.org .uk

Prince Charles takes up his trowel at SkillCityPRINCE CHARLES pitted hisbrlcklaylnq skil ls aqalnst younqwouldbe brlckles durlnq lastNovember's SklllClty Show InSalford Ouays, GreaterManchester. The Prince spent

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10 minutes laylnq bricks andtalklnq to his competitors.Another hlqhl lqht of the

show, which was attended bymore than 70 ,000 people , wasthe award of the Hanson Brick

Vounq Bricklayer of the Vearaward after a qruelllnq 21hourcontest . The winner wasRichard Kavanaqh, 21, anapprentice at Warw ickshireColleqe.

The Skll lCl ty exhibition Isdulqned to showcase theImpor tane- of skills tocorporate Britain, qovernmentdepartments and the world ofeducation and tralnlnq.

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Selling bricklayingto schoolchildrenTHE BETTERBRICKWORK ALLIANCE has launched the "Gel a Lif ewith Brick" campaign to encourage 13 to 17 year aids to choosebricklaying as a career. To accompany the launch. the BBA has distributed teacher 'sinformation packs to more than 4500 secondary schools.The pack includes a poste r that recalls the history of br ick and

promotes its environmental Qualities. Personalities appearing on theposter include Tommy Walsh - a bri cklayer by training and a memberof the BBC's Ground Force team. Interested youngs ters can also log onto www.brickpath.info for further info rmation.The campaign form s part of the BBA's initia tive to safeguard the

future of Qualit y brickwork and bricklaying . The association says thatalthough the current supp ly of br icklayers is mor e than enough. itrecognises that there could be future skills shortages if youngstersare not alerted to the attracti on of brick laying now.John Whit e chairman of the BBA and Persimmon Homes. says: " This

is the first t ime this kind of effort has been made. Going to un iversityis fine. but society needs cra ftsmen, and some youngsters would bebetter off on vocational courses. The purpose of our campaign is tobring th is highly respected career to their attention."Launched at the end of 1999, the BBA aims to improve qualit y and

competi tiveness in brickwork, promote skills and t raining and reducecosts. Members incl ude the Associat ion of Brickwork Cont ractor s, theBOA. the Const ructi on Indust ry Training Board, the Concrete BlockAssociati on. the Guild of Bricklayers. th e House Builders Federation,the Mor tar Industr y Association. the Transport and General WorkersUnion and th e Worshipfu l Company of lylers and Bricklayers. Forfurther info rmation call 01344-885651.

European standards are hereTHE BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTiON pUblished the CENEuropean product standard BS EN 1344 Clay Pavers Requirements and Test Methods In th e summer of 2002 .The document wil l coexist w ith the Br itish StandardBS 6677: Part 1: 1986 until It Is withdrawn at th e end of 2003 .Until that happens, specifiers of clay pavers have t he o pt ion ofuslnq either th e exls t lnq standard or the European one.It Is expect ed that CEmarked clay paver products to

BS EN 1344 will be launched durlnq 2003. CE marklnq will no t beobllqatory In the UK and Ir eland because they have only adoptedthe system on a voluntary basis.New European standards for masonry are expected to be

published by late summer 2003 In the UK. Aqa ln. a period ofcoexistence w ith the national standards will follow. At present, th especification of br ick masonry units should continue In accordancewit h BS 3921, BS lB 7, BS 6649 and BS 4729.

Brick contractors formlobbying groupTWELVE OFTHEUK'S LEADING br ickwork contractors have cometogether to form The Associat ion of Brickwork Contractors (ABC). Theaim of the associ at ion is to promote the ro le of t he br icklayer and thebr ickwork contractor. The associati on will place special emphasis onfour key objectives: qualit y of work , employment. health and safety.and training and education.Associat ion president Bill Preston said: "These four key objectives

must be maintained and developed by all members." Membership ofABC is open to all br ickwork contractors and subcontractors.For more informati on email info@brickworkcontractors.info.

IUL lET l l l

WELCOME TO THEnew-look Brick Bulletin.We 've redesigned it tocomplement theremarkable brickwork

projects that it features. But it is also asymbol of the Brick DevelopmentAssociation's desire to reach a broaderrange of constr uction professionals one reason why it is being published inconjunction with Building magazine, andon a more frequent basis.One of our key objectives is to ensurethat Brick Bulletin is sufficientlyinspiring, interesting, informative andauthoritative enough to be retained forfuture reference. This requires that,more than ever, t he format shouldcontain detailed informat ion that will beof direct relevance to specifiers. So, inaddition to projects displaying aestheticand technical excellence, there will bethe drawings, details and specificationinformation to make Brick Bulletin avaluable reference source for all aspectsof br ickwork design and construction.This is an excit ing and challengingtime for the brick industry, faced as itis with the important issues ofsustainability, harmonisation,conservation and innovativeconstr uct ion techniques. Brick Bulletinwill reflect and report on these issues inan open, accessible format. And in th isway, it will come to showcase the verybest of the UK clay brick industry.

Con Lenan, chief executive,Brick Development Association

editor GHrqe Dem.tri co-ordmatmq editor Andy Pearsonde-signer Jo e PresHo productIOn David RoqenI reproduction london Pre-p r"s pnnted bV 5t Iv " pic155N 03079325 .

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I INPICTURES IJUDGE FOR YOURSELFYou can get an idea of the standard of the winners of this year's Brick Awards byconsidering the quality of these six schemes that just missed out on a prize ...I, BRICK BULLETIN

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a Western Such D The precision of I I The Hornlman iii The R.q ls I I Han son's Mono I I Iroko Hous lnqApartments, th e detaillnq o' Museum, In Bulld lnq In l ..ds creem brick wa. Cooperat lve, In

Roya' Vlctor l. Dock. the Shrewsbury south London, used was shortllsted In the used In th is of f iCit Coin Street, london.London, w., buil t School Music fa c ility Sussex Brick 's h i t use of structural d. ....lopm .n t . t u sed Sunbury Reduslnq Hanson's won It specla' Has tlnqs Hanley brick cateqory. It used Ancell s Bu siness Park Handmade brick, madeMelford Vallow. The commendation In th e Red to match th e Hanson's Rossini brick In f1 t , Hampshir e. by th ebrlckbus lness.d. ....lopm . nt was ~ public bulld lnq orlqln8' bulldlnq. The to ereete what the This was short listed fo r th is short ll sh'dshortl lst f l i for th e cateqory. It used sc h eme was Judqas called " a l or th e best ent ry In th e bes tbest pr ivate hous lnq Marsha ll s Breck land shortll sted fo r best dl st lnqu lshed commerc ia' bulld lnq pub lic hou slnqdevelopmen t award. MultI. pUblic bulldlnq . sol ut ion" . award. development.

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I i EREWE HAVE LET THECONTEXT INFLUENCEand Inform the solution. Wehave stitched thebuilding into t he very fabr ic of the city, toharmonise it with its surroundings: ' saysarch itect Sandy Wright.He is describing the Women's l ibrary on Old Castle

Stree t. at the eastern edge of the City of London. Thebui lding, designed by Wright & Wright Architects. hasbeen slott ed. sti tched or even shoe-horned intoposition beside the old tobacco warehouses inhabitedby its owner, london Metropolitan Universi ty, and inclose proximity to 19605 housing blocks. Bu t to look atthis powerful chunk of construct ion. it would seem forall the world tha t it has grown there.Millicent Fawcett. a campaigner for women's rights.

fou nded the Women's l ibrary in 1926. What started lifein a converted pub in Westmins te r has since becomethe UK'smost comprehensive research library on allaspects of women's lives, from domestic chores topolitical activ ism.The Metropolitan University, or the City of Londo n

Polytechnic as was, acquired the vast collection ofbooks, film, photographs, banners and art ifacts in 19TI,But. un til recentl y, it was stored in a leaky basementacross the road from the new buildi ng.Wright & Wright's won the commission to design the

library in 1995, and it s bri ef shaped the resultantbui lding almost as much as its surroundings, "I t wasbasically to take thi s precio us, fragile collection andhouse it in a building that was safe, secure and whichexuded permanence: ' says Wright. For th at, thearchit ect has designed a monumental structure thathar ks back to th e heyday of American architect LouisKhan and his predi lection for geometric forms, heavymassing and brickwork,Wright & Wright has worked with a limited palette of

Tadcaster stone, grey painted metal, copper, Americanwhite oak and handmade Saxon Red Multi bricks. In th earchitect's words: " You don't need to stuff the entirecontentsof a bui lders merchant into the building; it'snot a fruitcake." And this simplic ity Is part of whatmakes the building so special.Emerging from behind the blackened , listed facade of

an 1846 washhouse, the massive sb-storev east wall ofthe library is almost devoid of adornment. Its sheerbrickwork face is punctured only once above third-floorlevel. "With this type of construction, the brickwork ismore than a simple veneer. It 's celebra ted," saysWright. "On most modern brick buildings. the beautifulbonds and cours ing is lost because there is no weightor depth to the skin." The single window, set 450 mmdeep into the bri ckwork reveal, accentuates the wall'smass and adds to the build ing's sense of strength (seethe detail box on the next page).The th ickness of the walls is the result of their

structural concrete core. But the thermal mass of all ofthi s brickwork and conc!ete plays an important role instabilising the temperature within the buildi ng and soprotecting the archive materials. Wright explains:"Because of th e scale of the str ucture and theemergent wall depths, the buildi ng is effectivelywrapped in a therm al layer, making temperature controlin sensitive areas a lot easier." The building is totallynaturally ventilated. Arup engineers have predi ctedenergy consumption for th e building's central archivesof about 20% of th at of an aircon ditioned equivalent.The colossal bulk of the east facade encloses a

structural core, which houses a stairwell and lifts . ...

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Elevation at overflow

Typical plan detail: movement Joint

IC IC IC IC IC IC IC I

movement Joint - compressiblefmer with "alant tomatch mortar colour

concreteCilvlty t ie

Getting every little thing right

I II IICant br ick II II I II II II~ I I II II II=:JI I I II II IIcant end brick II II " - V I Is helf anqle brick III IIsoft Joint around overflow =:JI III II r- J[purpos_-made st one overf low II III II II~ I I II II II

" The beauty Is In the detail: ' says architect Sandy Wrlqht. The movementJoint on the u st facad e demonstrates II subtle detail with a blq Impact.Instead of h ld lnq the join t behind a downplpe or simply plplnq a brown sealantInto a 20 mm qap. cant bricks have bun used to accentuate the detail,ca rvl nq a qroove Int o th e s ide of th e bulld lnq. A standard compres sible- 'lIIetccvered In a seal an t to match the bri ckwork makes up the joint. At II hlqhulevel. cant end br icks br lnq the qrooYe to termination one course above IIpurposemade Tadeast.r stone overflow, deslqned to match the stone coplnqsat the top of th e wall. The qroove resumes directl y beneath the overflow.

Michael Hamme tt: How the bricks and mortar were specifiedFor the deslqn t o be realised, wit hbr ickwork as the dom inan t material bothexternally and Internally , a hlqh -qua l l ty.10nq-lIfe and low-maintenance faclnq brickwas essential.The specif ied br icks are handmade clay

red multi faclnq bricks, conformlnq toBS 3921. They have durability deslqnatlonFL, a hlqh compressive st renqth and lowwater abso rption. This last characteristicraised part icular concerns when select lnqthe mortar type and plannlnq constructionschedules.Water absorption In clay bricks varies

from about 2% to 34%. Bricks of lessthan about 10% are considered to havelow water absorption.

Normall y, the water from mortar Isdrawn Into the br icks t oqet her wi t h fi nebinder part icles to promote adhesion. Thelow water absorption of t hese br ick smean s that they draw ver y li t tl e waterfrom th e mortar and could " fl oat" If themortar was too wet. The un of st if fer,low-water content mortar from RMC wasfound t o be necessary, as was the need tokeep the bricks dr y before use to ensuret ha t t he small amount of suct ion they hadwas available to promote adhesion.A third cons iderat ion Is th e rate at

which th e mortar will set. Low-waterabsorption bricks tend to keep the mortarIn th e joints mo is t and slow down th isprocess. Therefore, It Is rec ommended that

the number of courses laid In one sess ionbe limited to avoid the r isk of unsetmortar belnq squeezed out by the welqhtof the br icks above. Broad areas ofbrickwork on t he project presented noproblems of delay when followlnq thisquldance. However, work on piersproqressed simultaneously, rather thanra lslnq them Indiv idual ly.These basic rules, followed to t he

letter, have produced a bulldlnq that Is af ine example of what brickwork can brlnqto a project. Michael Hammett is the former seniorarchitect at the Brick DevelopmentAssociation and technical consultant for theWomen's Library.

,

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Cost breakdown - brickwork

Costs eesec on 1999 prices and ~ . c 1 U d e innH blockWOfkskin,cavity ties. dampproof courses. preliminaries and VAT.

... This is matched on the west side to form a sandwich,with the f il ling made from the central exhibi tion,semina r and office areas as well as the archive andlibrary. From the north. t his gives the building anindustrial feel, but here the bu lk is cut through wit h amassive slab of white Tadcaster stone , which sitsastride a bank of large wind ows. Below them are foursquare peepholes between the bookshel ves."The glazed panels between the bookshe lves give aview of the treetops in the courtyard. They allow you to

orientate voursett" say.s Wright. Simple inter ventionslike these point to where you are with in the structure.They also tease the best out of the arch itect: Wrighthas an inherent love of materials, their looks, feel.weigh t and implied history. He specified bri ck to stitc hthe building in to its surroundings, but it also reflectshis appreciation of the sensuous qualities inherent inthe material. "1 have always had an interest in brick.and especially the handmade stock," says Wright. "Themix of colours - reds , blues, oranges - and textures givea special quality to a handmade brick. It almost has atweed to it."Wright's preoccupat ion wi th materials exten ds to thewhole pro ject. Each element in his palette has its own

visual and tact ile qua lities. And enter ing the library ispossibly the best way to discover them. Through heavygrey metal gates, hung on the 1846 facade, visitorsenter into a reception area tha t is a mix of washhouseand drawing room. A heavily paneled oak ceiling playsfoil to a brickwork floor, laid with black mor tar.Doors and frames, the reception desk and ceiling s to

many public areas are all crafted from f ine-grainedAmerican oak. In contrast to this warmth and luxury,the floors throughout the circulation and exhibitionareas are of br ick. The materials lend an inst itutionalair to the place. But. although the extensive use ofbr ickwork - it is used as an internal walt covering inmany areas - harks back to the noise and heat of t hewashhouse, the oak and stone elements seem to instilla library's hush.Loui s Khan once said: "When the work Is completed

the beginn ing must be ten,' The Women's l ibra ry isfi nished but just as it s content teaches the beginn ingsof women's str uggle fo r equali ty, the very fabric fromwhich the buildi ng is constructed reveals its historythrough touch, smell and sight. Wright &Wright hascrafted a beautifu l build ing wit h a sense of place andpermanence, elements often lost in many high-techarchitectural solutions of today.

dampproof course supported on c avity tray l","""tac!nq br lc:kpurpos tm ad . s t..l llnt .1 ss

II\ IIwindow II\ IIIIII

\ II\l\.\II \II \ \II .....-'

r. lnforc:.d c:oncr. t. IInt.1dampp roof c:ouru

What we see in the window

Section through fourth-floor stair window

scr..d to tall

On the new bulldlnq Wrlqht & Wrlqht has used brickwork detall lnq In a mannerthat defers to the bulldlnq's use bu t stili hints at the structure 's power.A sect ion th rouqh t he fourth- f loor window, vis ible on t he east facade above

t he washhouses slqn, disp lays the th ickness and mass of the bulldlnqenvelope. Brickwork skins to both the Int ernal and exte r te r walls cloak anInSUlat ed core of structural concrete.The qlazlnq Is set far back In the reveal and the window openlnq Is detailedwith six courses of plinth bricks sloplnq from Its ban to accentuate the

feellnq of depth. At Its head, a course pistol br icks t idies the edqe of the steellin te l and soffi t panel. whi le t lpplnq a nod to the arches In the old facadebelow. The dampproof course steps throuqh br ickwork at sill lev. I, throwlnqany mo isture away f rom the floor slab , which Is bu il t Into th . th ick wall .

117l/m'210/m

50 each72/m311m5/m

60/m[65.86/m'

814/m24/m

E54.63/m2

Internal wall sGeneral fac ingOrnament bandCost

External wallsGeneral facingCant br icks (horizontal and vertical)Cant stop bricksShel f angle bric ksFlat archesSillsRevealsCost

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IIHE TRUTH ISCOMING!" AND IT'S COMINGlive via video link, according to th e posteradvert ising a talk by American civil right scampaigner Louis Farrakhan. Farrakhan's face.posted proudly on the ins ide of a window. is the mostanimated thing about this block in what's left of theor iginal Angell Town estate in Srixt on, sout h London.Most of t he other windows are boarded up and it's thesame stor y in the adjacent block .Across th e street. however. where only a few years

ago th e blocks faced their mirror image. there sits apr istine development of modern mews houses. Youcould be forg iven for taking the contemporary style asevidence of a yuppie invasion. but this is in fact th enew face of the Angell Town estate. Once a notor iousgr id of deck-access blocks, th e esta te has beenrede signed by archit ect Burrell Foley Fischer to give it abr ighter. more human character."What characterised the estate," says par tner

Stephanie Fischer. was that it was very institutional ; itwas represented in the A-Z as a blob because therewasn't reall y a street pattern. We want ed to reestablisha pattern of streets and mews and links to surroundingroutes."The redesign, t he second phase of whi ch was

completed at th e end of 2002, Is th e culmination ofmore than a decade of communi ty acti on. The originalAngell Town estate, completed in th e early 1970s, hadnever been popular with its resident s. Built at odds withthe local street pattern , the estate was cut of f fr om thesur rounding community. On top of thi s, th ere .were nohomes at st reet level, which were occupied instead bygloomy parking enclosures under the housing blocks.Unsurprlsingly, th e esta te became seen as a no-goarea.Power to the peopleThe resident s launched a voci ferous campaign for theregen eration of Angell Town. and they set thei raspirations high. When Lambeth council called inBurrell Foley Fischer in 1998. the arch itects at the fi rmshowed residents a range of models to choose from.The one that emerged as the most popular was a light,low-rise design tha t mixed references to terracedhousing and contemporary detaili ng. In other words,the ant ithesis of the featureless hor izontal blocks theyhad known.In the five-storey deckaccess blocks. one home was

indis tinguishable from another and visi tors werehard -pressed to find the ir way around. In the newth ree-storey design. dif ferentiated windows andbalconi es give each floor an individual character.Furth ermore. no space is wasted on anonymous publicareas. Generally. t here are on ly two flats to astreet-level door and every household has some privateoutdoor space, whether a balcony, pat io or smallgarden. The overall effect is closer to the villaarchitecture found In th e rest of Brl xton tha n to youraverage housing estate.At the hear t of the design was a tradit ional mater ial

t hat was associated with housing on a more personalscale: brick. But the architect steered clear of Victorianor 1960s redsand opted for a sandstone-colouredvarie ty to create light. modern facades. These areanimated with other materials more common toupmarket commerc ial developments, such as glassbricks and wooden slats. But. as FIscher makes clear," the residents weren't just involved in the wlndow j -

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r\,"Ii

Details, details

Zinc sta ndlnq sumroof conrlnq and faciaIn pr . w.ath., .d finish

Pr.cut concr.t. coplnq toparty wan, colour to match brick

Br lu so la ll wit h flat st.a' fram.and Iroko louvr.s: colour t o matchbr ick; t ha fr ont 01br lsasolallIIn.s up wit h th . faca 01br ick

raclnq brickwork with flushpolntlnq: pr.cast concr.ta coplnqflush with laca 01 brickand colour to match

A typical secondfloor balcony: The deslqn of the billeonles and windowshas been carefUll y arranqed so that they are allqned with the brickworkand avoid t he need for cut bricks. Iroko wood louvres provide shad lnq tot he f r. nch windows

Th. facad. comb ln . s a wid. mix of mat . r lal s and f tu r. s.

..... dressing, but in the fundamental principles",The architect chosea pale brick called Throckley

Smooth Buffs , made by Ibstock, to create abrighter environment for residents. For a smooth finishit also chose a mor tar, made by RMC, that was as closeto the colour of the bricks as possible. This way, thefacades read as a fairly seamless masonry plane ratherthan as a disjointed surface with thousands ofcomponents.The design of the facades hasbeen carefull y worked

out to avoid asfar aspossible the need for cut bricks.Balconies and windows are carefully aligned with thebrickwork so that there is a crisp symmetr icalrelat ionship between the components of the design andit s essential material.Steering clear of the uniformity that plagued the

original estate, the architect avoided large fields ofbrickwork, breaking up the facadeswith ti mber panelsabove the doorways and varying the design of eachstorey.On the first floor, french windows open ontolouvred balconies made of galvanised metal, whi le onthe second balconies are recessedwith iroko woodlouvres.Perhaps what is most surprising about the new

design is that these low-rise structures, with theiremphasis on individuality and pri vate space, have notcome at the expense of housing density. In fact. with355 habitable rooms a hectare, Angell Town is morespaceefficient than its predecessor,with its flats linedup like coops for battery hens,Thedesign objectives that the architect and residents

set out together have turned an estate in to aneighbourhood. The openness of the new layout andthe lightness of the br ickwork combine to form abr ighter, fri endlier str eetscape. and residents nowhave highly individual, stylish homes in Which theycan take pride.In fact, seeing the posit ive way in which the

community worked to tr ansform its environment. LouisFarrakhan's live video link may not have much more toteach it about empowerment.

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The message tied to a brickBe lieve it or not, says Con Lenan, there are those who think thatsomething made from clay that lasts centuries is not sustainableL AST NOVEMBER. THE BRICK DEVELOPMENTAssociation launched a campaign designed

to establish and communicate brick 's5ustainability credentials to the construction

industry and the wider audience.One of our most pressing tasks is to convince

archi tects. engineers. surveyors, contractors. plannersand government agencies that bric k is a sustainablematerial. This is necessary to maintain brick's positionas a fi rst-class cladding and structural material. but alsoto demolish a few misconcepti ons.One of th ese is th at brick has h igh embodied energy.

It is frequently expressed. but how many specifiers areaware that clay brirk-makinq accounts for only1.5% of total energy consumption of UKmanufacturing? What's more, the industry has pledgedto reduce its specific energy consumption more than10% by 2010, and it has spent 12.6m to improve itsenvironmental performance.Statistics such as these can help specifiers to reach

an informed decision, but they must be considered inconjunction with the t raditional qualities of brick. fo rexample, its remarkable durability and lifespan are .strong arguments in any debate on sustainability, and iscomplemented by the minimal maintenance that. brickwork requi res. And when you remember tha t brickoften fu lfi ls aesthetic, weatherproofing, str uctu ral.acoust ic , fi re and securi ty roles, the case for it becomeseven stronger.To spearhead the campaign, the BOA has launched

two brochures: Brick . Made for Generations, whichintroduces the environmental argument for brick, andA SustiJinability Strategy fo r the Brick Industry, whichpresen ts a more detailed case (see www.brick.org.uk).This campaign has resulted from the BOA's

membership of the Pioneers Group an initiativeestablished by the onand the Department for theEnvironment, f ood and Rural Affairs - to accele rate thedevelopment and implementa tion of sustainabili tystrategies. This campaign demonstrates thedetermination of the brick industry to work on its

strategy - one of the first business sectors to do so.The ult imate aim of sustainable development must be

to del iver a bette r quality of li fe to fu ture gene rations.The government should be applauded for tak ing thisresponsibility serlouslv, partly by challenging theindustry to evaluate and improve the sustainability ofits activities.How witl th is be achieved? Simply by each secto r

implementi ng four objec tives : Social progress that recognises the needs of all The effec t ive protection of the environment The pru dent use of resources The mai ntenance of high and stable levels ofeconomic growth and employment.As one of the f irst construction sectors to publish its

sustainability strategy, the brick industry can feelsatisfied of progress on all four fronts.The brick industr y employs 6000 people, spread

across 120 manufactur ing sites. These are locatedmostly in ru ral areas and are often the main source ofemployment. The popularity of brick and the associatedstability of demand will enable brickworks to offerlong-term, stable employment to its workers.Environmental protection naturally springs to mind

when the SU bject of sustainable development is broughtup. Although we are never going to face a clayshortage, brick makers nevertheless recognise theimpor tance of measuring and reducing theconsumption of nat ural resources. Heavy claycons truction products make up Jess t han 3% of thenon-energy minerals extracted in the UK. The brickindustry wastes very little clay in manufacture. hasinvested in kilns that use recycled heat, and br ickmakers use gas from landfi ll in exhausted pits to firekitns or generate electricity sold to th e national grid .As with all manufactur ing processes, there is morethat can be done to improve sustai nabili ty, yet as far as

brick is concerned, a flying star t has been made.Con Lenan Is chief eucut lve of the BrickDevelopment Assoc iation.

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TECHNICAL

A chimney is the most exposed element of any building , so it's important todesign and build it to last. Michael Driver explains what has to be considered

Selection of bricks and jointsClay or calcium silicate bricks can be used in theconstruct ion of a chimney. I f clay bricks are chosen.their resilience will depend on three interrelatedfactors : the durabil ity desjqnetlon of the brick. thedetailing of the chimney term inal and the mortar. Durability: clay bricks with British Standard durabil it ydesignations Fl. FN, ML. tANare all suitable. Terminal : chimneys are usually exposed on the topand all four sides. so the br ickwork is often saturated.

This means that they are more exposed to fro st andsutpnete attack than any other par t of the building .For this reason, it is desirable to put a coping orcapping on top of the brickwork to reduce its exposureto moisture.CappinQs are made from brickwork with ti lecreaslncs. which are then f1aunched - filleted withmortar - to help th row water clear of the brickwork.However. ceppinqs canno t be relied on to keep out

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moisture indefinitely and so requir e a dampproofcourse beneath them. Copings usually comprise a single precast concreteunit with a weathe red top and a 55 mm throatedoverhang to help shed water. It is recommended that adpc is installed beneath the coping. This is particula rlyimportan t if a coping is to be assembled fr om sectio ns. Copings. cappings and f1aunchings should beconstructed using only F"L or FN class clay bricks withas designat ion (i) mor tar made using sulphate-resistingPortland cement. Calcium silicate bricks are natu rally fro st resistantand are free from soluble salts. so their specif ication isslightly less onerous. For copings. cappings andf1aunchings. bricks should be as class 4 to 7, with asdesignation (i i) mor ta r made using sulphate-resist ingPortland cement. The chimney pot or flu e terminal should be beddedin at least three courses of bri ckwork to ensure that itis well anchored and unlikely to be dislodged by highwinds.MortarThe most appropriate mortar mixes for chimneyconstruction will depend on the durabili ty classificationof the bricks and the risk of th e br ickwork becomingsaturated. It is strongly recommended that sulphateresisting cement is used because of the presence ofsoluble sulphates in flu e gas condensation. Table 14 inas 5628 part 3: 2001describes the most suitablemortar mixes. Flush, bucket handle or weatheredmortar joi nts are all suitable for chimney stacks andterminals but recessed joints should be avoided.Flashings and dampproof coursesTo prevent water that has penetrated the chimneybrickwork above the roof f rom permeating down intothe building, a preformed lead dpc t ray should beinstalled. To prevent th e risk of corrosion when incontact with the mor tar. the lead should be coated witha solvent -based bituminous pain t on both sides beforeinstallation. The tra y should have upstands at the backand sides and a projection at the fr ont to dress over anapron flashing. It should also be taken through a jointin the f lue l in ing and dressed up on the inside of theliner by 25 mm (see detail).Where a steeply pitched roof has been used or where

the chimney is exposed to severe wind-driven rain, anadditional dpc should be installed above the lead tra yto reduce th e amount of water reaching it.Flashings should be installed around the base of the

chimney to prevent water entering the building at thejunction between the roof and the chimney stack.Note: This featu r e is an abridged version of Brick

Information Sheet No 6.9. which is availab le fr om theBrick Development Associa tion. For guidance on thedesign and detailing of firepla ces and flues. referenceshould be made to other sources of info rmation.

Typical :chimney fer.minaltdetiil):

flaunc:hl . . .

BOA PublicationsThe Brick Development Association publishes a comprehensive set 0'technical l iterature on It s web site - www.brlck.org.uk - and also In It sbrochure Brick Publications. This Information Is split Int o two majorcategories, brickwork design and detailing and structural br ickwork.Data sheets have been produud to answer questions frequently asked on

the BOA's technical enqu ir y line. Currently, eight sheets are available whichdeal with the following topics: Verticality 0' perpends: adv l u on spec ification and sit e Inspect ion. Recessed Joints: summary 0' advice on the specification of joints. Colour consistency: notes on the causes of patchiness and colour banding Inbrickwork. Frog up; 'rog down: observations on an old dilemma. Water repellent surface treatments: current BOA advice. Repolntlng of br ickwork. Bricklaying In winter conditions. Tin t ing: notes on the theory and practice o' colouring br ickwork.In addition to the above, five Information sheets are about to be published:S p ~ c l f l c a t / o n of Brlc/{ R.ta/nlnq Walls. This Is a summary o' the three typeso' retain ing wall , with notes on detailing and construction .Movem.nt In Brickwork. This offers guidance on the many 'actors that shouldbe considered In clay br ickwork design. Different types o' movement.movement j oints and the particUlar problems o' short returns are allcons idered.Speci fica tion of Brickwork In Chlmn.ys. This document Is summarised In th .main feature .T h ~ r m a J Insulation of BulJdlnqs. These are notes on the location andspecifi cati on of Insulat ion for sol id and cav i ty walls. This will Include anumber of points on the site Inspection of cavity Installation .P r ~ f a b r l c a t ~ d Brick A s s ~ m b l / ~ s . A rev iew o' the range of preas sembledbr ickwork details . It Is ant icipated t hat th is will be a growth area Inthe fut ure.

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COUNTDOWN TO 2003T HIS YEAR'S BRICK AWARDSceremony promises to be the

biggest and best yet. so make a notein your diary. The event will take

place in the magnif icent surroundings of theballroom at London's Le Mer idian Grosveno rHouse Hotel in November 2003.This year is l ikely to see a new category for

the volume housebuilders who make the bestand most creati ve use of brick across theirrepertoire of properties. The contribution thatspecialist contractors have made to a schemewillalso be recognised th is year alongsidethose of the project 's arch itect.If you have completed a build ing in the last

two years that you feel exemplifies thepossibilities of brick , now is the t ime to thinkabout entering this year's awards. Entryforms will be available in March from theBrick Development Associat ion and on itswebsite (www.brick.org.uk). The closing datefor entries is J une with judging taking placethroughout July and August. The jUdges willpubl ish a shortlist of schemes in September.The cont"", of thiS public.tion e i n t ~ lor ~ - ~ n c f only .rId...., penon intfO(lirlQ to uw tl'lnf contf'l t, lOt the purl)OS.e of 0fS1Qn. cons.truc1iOnor ~ P o I i r of br il;kworkor .n y r f ~ t t < l projt ' 1loukI lil'1tconMlft. protfUlonotloldvisor. The BriCkDfWloprneon t Auoclition. it, wrv" ,h. ~ . . " PflloOrl' who contributt