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!