Grand Designs Australia – Issue 6.3 – May 2017

A LOOK AT DIFFERENT

BUILDING MATERIALS

A research project by Newcastle University

looked at the thermal properties of diff erent

building materials over an eight-year period

to understand the energy effi ciency of each

material.

The building materials tested included:

insulated brick veneer; cavity brick; reverse

brick veneer; insulated lightweight materials;

and insulated cavity brick. The project

involved the construction and monitoring

of a range of test buildings, each with over

100 sensors to monitor internal and external

conditions as well as temperature and heat

variations through each wall, fl oor and roof.

INSULATED LIGHTWEIGHT

MATERIALS

Insulated lightweight building materials

have become increasingly popular because

of their lower cost, durability and speed of

construction. Some examples include timber

and fi bre cement.

While most insulated lightweight materials

have a high thermal resistance (R-Value),

they don’t tend to have thermal mass in the

walls. What this means is buildings made

with insulated lightweight materials tend

to exhibit greater variations in internal

temperature.

The important thing to consider with

insulated lightweight building materials is

while they can reduce the amount of heat

entering a building, they do not provide any

thermal lag (that is, they don’t delay the

transference of heat until later in the day).

Therefore, the energy consumption needed

to maintain comfortable temperatures

inside is higher in homes made of insulated

lightweight materials.

HOW DOES BRICK PERFORM?

Brick buildings, including both cavity brick

and brick veneer, tend to have high thermal

mass properties. As such they allow for more

stable inside temperatures. Brick buildings can

reduce heat escaping from the inside during

winter, but also reduce the eff ect of heat from

the sun by releasing stored heat in the external

brick wall back to the outside environment.

In homes where the inside walls are

made of brick and the exterior walls of other

materials (such as fi bre cement, timber or

render), otherwise known as reverse brick

veneer (RVB), there is a greater level of

thermal mass than in buildings made with

insulated lightweight materials. This results

in a more stable and comfortable inside

temperature. However, a lack of thermal mass

in the external materials limits the energy

Budget limitations and geographical location meant that recycled bricks were not aff ordable or easy

to access. This design was made from fi ve diff erent bricks from a standard range, yielding a surface

quality and nuanced colour palette similar to that of a recycled brick.

HORBURY HUNT RESIDENTIAL AWARD
— DOUBLE COURTYARD HOUSE
HORBURY HUNT
RESIDENTIAL AWARD
— YTH RESIDENCE
YtH residence has been rebuilt from
the ground up and connected into the
neighbouring terrace to create a courtyard
house off ering adaptable multi-family living.
The home’s facade, built entirely in face brick,
responds to the rhythm of the street yet sits in
contrast to its neighbours.

Toowoomba House from Grand Designs

Australia Series Five