Monnanda Appaiah, Managing Director, Wienerberger India, which was set up in 2006 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Wienerberger AG, a leading producer of clay building materials and the largest producer of bricks, explains the use of Thermo Bricks as an energy-efficient, cost-effective and environment-friendly building solution for modern day homes.
The construction industry is fast evolving with the advent of new technology. A number of products offering Green Building solutions are now available in the marketplace and the real estate industry is gradually adopting these latest innovations. A good number of individual house owners are also opting for green constructions or sustainable building solutions, mainly because of its insulation from climatic extremes among others.
Governments are also waking up to this need making concepts like rainwater harvesting mandatory among others. The effects of global warming are adverse, drastic temperature variations, drought situation, and floods, to name a few. Need of the hour is to mandate the usage of eco-friendly building material that could unburden the atmosphere from harmful gases.
Energy-efficient architecture or green building is a concept which is not new to the world but has grown in popularity in recent years. The perfect example to support this is the historic ‘Hawa Mahal’ in Jaipur. Although construction of the structure dates back to 1799, it is a ‘Green Building’ as temperature inside the monument is relatively low from the surroundings outside. The cooling effect created by presence of small perforations in the facade of the building is an example of clever architecture in a hot and humid country like India.
Green building materials are mainly made from natural products incorporating latest technology. The real estate and construction industries have taken a huge leap in terms of being eco-friendly as they are now focusing on efficiency of buildings with respect to the use of water, energy and materials while reducing the negative influences of the possible impact on an individual’s health and the environment by effecting better design, construction, operation and maintenance.
Many cities in India are witnessing erratic climate conditions, thanks to this rising global phenomena. Fact of the matter is that air-conditioning sales are growing 20 per cent a year in China and India; as middle classes grow, units become more affordable and temperatures rise with climate change. But this is only leading to the alarming situation where scientists have warned about the adverse impact of high electricity consumption leading to a deficit of natural resources. Adding to this disadvantage is the power cuts due to scarcity and the mounting bills that drastically go up with high consumption of electricity to run an air-conditioner.
A quick and innovative solution to keep your house cool without harming the environment is the ‘Thermo Brick’.
Thermo Bricks are used for external walls to achieve thermal comfort for indoors. These bricks have an excellent thermal insulation with a ‘U’ value of 0.6 W/m2K. This is the best thermal insulation currently available for any walling material in the country. The bricks provide comfortable and natural indoor climate therefore, avoiding use of air-conditioners most of the time. Even if used, it lowers the usage time largely which translates into savings in energy and hence money spent on electricity bill. In addition to this advantage, the bricks are built such that in winters they insulate the house naturally.
These bricks also eliminate the need for dual or thicker walls, thus increasing the carpet area of an individual house or an apartment. An individual can save a lot on labour cost as these bricks weigh only 12 kg which is 60 per cent less than the conventional cement blocks or solid clay bricks used in construction of a house or a building. The lightweight of bricks also enables savings in structural costs.
These bricks are purely built from natural clay which is sourced by desilting of the water tanks. Such tanks are available in rural areas around Kunigal-Tumkur district where manufacturing plant of Wienerberger is located.