Sustainability vs. Performance: Impact of reducing thickness of brick in veneer walls

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of reducing the thickness of clay brick veneer on its water penetration performance and associated environmental impact. Thinner brick would mean reduction in material which would in turn impact transportation and installation. To examine the performance of thinner bricks, two brick samples were used for comparison: brick with standard 90mm width and brick with reduced width of 75mm. This change in width represents a 17% volumetric reduction in material used. Could this reduction in material be obtained without impacting the performance of the brick veneer? The study at Ryerson compared the standard veneer brick with a thinner brick veneer by conducting water penetration tests on six wall specimens- three of each brick veneer. The initial results showed that thinner veneer allowed less water to penetrate through than the thicker one. Further tests were done specifically looking into the absorption characteristics of both brick samples. The water penetration tests were repeated to simulate different wind-driven rain conditions. Comparing the results from all the tests, it was observed that the thinner walls perform better. The lower water penetration of the thinner walls seemed directly linked to the fact that they have an IRA that is close to three times that of the standard bricks. This may result in better bond between mortar and brick which could result in less water leaking through the joints. The investigation into the environmental impact of thinner brick veneer indicates that significant savings in energy, green house gases and other environmental aspects could be achieved if the thinner veneer is adopted Canada-wide. This paper points to further studies that would be required to see the effect thickness has on brick veneer performance.