Brick is a resilient and sustainable material used in high-performance buildings, a key aspect of sustainable design. Sustainable design considers the health and well-being of building occupants and the concept of resilience, which is to withstand extreme weather events, then quickly repair and re-occupy.


The learning objectives explore the age old material, which has gained traction in resilient design and discusses how buildings constructed of the material provide occupant comfort in terms of thermal, acoustic, and non-VOC emissions.


Learning Objectives

  • Examine the broader aspects of sustainability that go beyond energy efficiency and have gained traction in recent years, including resilient design, reducing raw material and construction waste, and occupant comfort.
  • Evaluate the long lifecycle of brick due to its durability and how this lowers the embodied carbon of the material and contributes to resilient design.
  • Understand the brick manufacturing process and how the material contributes to a circular economy and prevents excessive construction and demolition waste.
  • Explore how buildings constructed of brick provide thermal and acoustic comfort and do not emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), all leading to a healthier indoor environment for building occupants.

Pre-Requisite: Basic knowledge of brick.