A Brick That Powers Your Building?

It sounds far-fetched, but it could be a real possibility in the future and it came out of the BrickStainable Design Competition. Last post I told you about my trip to New Mexico to meet with one of last year’s winners, Eric Haskins to discuss an idea he had. Well now I can talk about it because his idea for photovoltaic brick is patent-pending. Several entries in the BrickStainable competition utilized this concept—marrying clay brick with new photovoltaic technology—and Eric is taking it to the next level. Obviously, this idea is in its infancy—much research is still needed to figure out exactly how it could and would be used on the exterior and link to the building’s systems on the interior. Still, through this competition, architects interested in product development are working on the innovative ideas they explored in theory in their entries, in the real world. BrickStainable could lead to energy efficient systems far beyond anything we imagined when we began this competition and to me there’s nothing more exciting!

Escaping the Heat on a Hot Summer Day

It was a hot and humid day today in Washington, DC, almost 100º with 40% humidity. We decided to escape the city’s summer heat by retreating to a presentation by BrickStainable’s architecture and sustainability consultant, Peter Doo. The comfort and cooling sensation we felt when we first entered the National Building Museum was undeniably refreshing. Over 15 million bricks contribute to the buildings thermal mass and were integral in the construction plans to promote air circulation before the time of mechanical heating and cooling systems.

We sat amongst a crowd of at least 50 architects and designers as Peter talked about how the construction materials we choose affect the performance of a building. He continued, “After industrialization we moved towards centralized air-conditioning and our architectural expressions were not performance based.” As the green movement progresses, it is likely designers will re-think the materials they choose and their building envelopes. There will be a transformation in design; and sustainability – which is not a fad – will have a stylistic approach.

Brick is nature’s oldest building block. Designs by Louis Kahn and Frank Lloyd Wright will always be remembered for their integration of masonry. Peter not only credited the aforementioned architects, but also the designers (both winners and entrants) from BrickStainable 2009. The sustainable applications for masonry are abundant!

Sensory, memory… hot summer days, cool brick buildings. Now that’s refreshing!

Music Legend MADONNA lays first brick in “Self-Sustaining Village”

When we saw this article we just couldn’t pass up sharing it with our fellow fans of brick. From the iconic “American Girl,” to “Evita” in Buenos Aires, most recently spotted in Malawi – Madonna is not only a world music idol, but also an advocate for sustainable design solutions! She tours the world for music, film and promotion of energy efficient communities.

She recently visited Malawi with her two daughters Mercy James and Lourdes to lay the first brick in a $15 million dollar project. Inscriptions on brick including phrases such as, “Dare to Dream” will reside at the project site. Madonna has donated millions of her own money to the country and the school.

Madonna supports "self-sustaining villages" BUILT WITH BRICK to enhance the educational opportunities for those less fortunate. Through these efforts, it is apparent Madonna is no “Beautiful Stranger” to sustainable design.

It is no surprise to us The Material Girl’s sustainable material of choice is BRICK.

Connections Made at BrickStainable Lead to Cross Country Travel

While mingling with the winners of BrickStainable at the awards ceremony, I heard “Let me know when you’re in town and I’ll show you around”. Well, since then, I have. I’ve taken trips to meet with two of the winners, tour their areas and learn more about what they’re doing now and how BrickStainable impacted them.

The first trip was to see Rizal Muslimin at MIT. I toured four buildings including the new Frank Geary building where I learned how he uses geometric designs to create unique exteriors that impact the functionality of the interior and sustainability of the building as a whole. Plus, it didn’t hurt that the building is made of brick!

Now in his second year of the doctoral program, Rizal found MIT attractive because of its interdisciplinary approach to teaching; combining architecture, fabrics and other materials to invent new and better things. BrickStainable sparked his interest in a similar way—it crossed boundaries and opened up the thought process for using clay brick in other disciplines.

My second trip was to Albuquerque, New Mexico to meet with Eric Haskins. Eric had an idea to discuss and is working on a patent, so it’s top secret for now! We also discussed BrickStainable and similar to Rizal, Eric appreciated the creativity that the competition spurred. He loved that it allowed participants the opportunity to look at the use of clay brick in specific projects for use in energy efficiency.

On my tour of Albuquerque I noticed that the brick buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries are still standing and still as beautiful as when they were first built, but for some reason, today’s architects have abandoned brick in favor of other materials. I certainly hope this shift isn’t permanent because after my conversations with these two competition winners I’m more confident than ever that the applications for clay brick as a “green” building material are abundant.