A single drop of water may not seem very significant, but billions and billions of such drops go on to making the Ocean. Similarly, every single brick plays a pivotal role in forming strong foundation when you are constructing your house.  Over time, bricks appeared, gained eminence, lost importance and then came back to the forefront again with countless styles of architecture. Brick is one of the primary building materials known to mankind, they are essential for construction, but how many people know about its intricate details? For those who do not know building bricks well, this blog will help you take a much closer look at them.

Building Bricks – Let’s Know Them Well

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1. Main Ingredient

Clay is the main ingredient used in making bricks. Where does clay come from, well it comes from the ground, basically, it is a result of the break-up of rocks over a period of time. Volcanoes, weather, glaciers and even chemical reactions can grind the rock into a fine powdery earth which is ultimately called clay.

2. How Were Bricks Made Earlier?

Unlike today, earlier bricks were made by hand. When clay is wet it can be easily shaped, hence earlier people used their hands to shape bricks into a suitable form for a building block and then sun-dried it to make it firm and strong.

3. How Is It Made Today?

Putting in the simplest form, today bricks are primarily made by machines. The main ingredient clay is hard-pressed into a mold and then baked at a temperature of over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit until it turns very hard.

4. Why Are Bricks Red?

Most of the bricks are naturally red in color, ever thought why? This is because of the presence of iron in main ingredient (clay) used to make them. Well, color option isn’t restricted to red, different color bricks can be made by adding other materials to the clay before the baking process.

5. Why Are Bricks Such Great Building Material?

Bricks are truly one of the sturdiest building materials, it can not only can it withstand the huffs and puffs a building structure faces, but are also free of any maintenance cost. Bricks are ageless, they do not break, rot or demand painting even over long periods of time. Also, there is no risk of termites or insects feasting on a building structure made of building bricks.

6. Different Types Of Bricks

There are varieties of bricks which are present in the market and they are named according to their use, size, quality, origin, texture, materials used and the method of their formation. Let’s know them:

Fire bricks are also known as refractory brick. It is the most common type of brick used in buildings and industries. These kinds of bricks are manufactured to stand high temperature and also to absorb heat. It helps to increase energy efficiency. In fire bricks Aluminium Oxide is the most valuable content present. It has a volume of 50-80%. Such bricks can withstand temperatures as high as 1648 degree Celsius.

The other types of the most common bricks which are used in the market are chemically set bricks. These kinds of bricks are not baked. These are manufactured by applying heat and pressure in an autoclave.

• Hollow Bricks (Smart Bricks)

Hollow bricks are 100% natural, green products which are used in building long-lasting homes. The homes build by hollow bricks are user-friendly and are low in cost. It provides natural comfort for the generation and helps in faster construction. These homes stay cool in summers and warm in winters. A lot of companies manufacture traditional bricks but at the same time, there is an Austrian company by the name Wienerberger which is considered to be the pioneer in manufacturing hollow bricks.

7. Why Do Bricks Make Sturdy Structures?

Clay bricks are much stronger than any other building materials, no wonder it is the top choice for most of the builders/developers. Since bricks are fired at extremely high temperatures, it results in fusing together the clay particles which results in forming a super-strong bond which transforms clay bricks into metamorphic rocks. When bricks are combined in interlocking pattern with other bricks held together by mortar, bricks make robust structures which can survive for hundreds and thousands of years with minimal maintenance.

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Go Green With Porotherm Clay Bricks

Do You Know? “Green Buildings do not account for even 5 % of the total building footprint in India” (Source). To stop the deterioration happening to the environment, there is this constant need to adopt more sustainable practices. While the construction industry generates the maximum amount of waste and uses enormous amount of energy, building “Green Buildings” is one great gift this industry can give back to nature, but sadly it is largely overlooked in India.

Bricks have always been the most important constituent that underlines the overall structure of a house. Therefore, we should always be careful in our selection of bricks for walling solutions. With growing development and innovation, we are now availed with many kinds of bricks. In all those options Porotherm clay bricks are a world class product for hollow clay bricks. These are smart walling material which peruses the advantages of natural clay. The fact that they are made of natural substances and are hollow from inside makes them far more efficient than the traditional solid bricks and blocks, and just perfect to build green buildings.

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Curated by editor at  Wienerberger India

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