New-build or refurbished properties being scored under schemes such as the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) could benefit from the use of masonry brushes to ensure their brickwork is performing its ecological function.
Figures from Pike Research estimate that, by 2020, 25 billion square feet of buildings will have been refurbished under green assessment criteria - almost as much as the new-build property expected to be constructed to environmental standards by then.
Under the BREEAM Communities Technical Guidance, 'thermal mass' - sections of brickwork capable of storing heat energy - can be used to reduce the amount of heat absorbed by the interior of a property.
However, using masonry brushes to keep exterior surfaces free of dust during construction could be an important way to make sure the maximum possible heat is stored in the bricks and not passed through to the interior.
The BREEAM technical guidance explains that the exterior finish of a structure can affect how much heat it is able to reflect and how much it absorbs.
Posted by Jude Whitehouse
Figures from Pike Research estimate that, by 2020, 25 billion square feet of buildings will have been refurbished under green assessment criteria - almost as much as the new-build property expected to be constructed to environmental standards by then.
Under the BREEAM Communities Technical Guidance, 'thermal mass' - sections of brickwork capable of storing heat energy - can be used to reduce the amount of heat absorbed by the interior of a property.
However, using masonry brushes to keep exterior surfaces free of dust during construction could be an important way to make sure the maximum possible heat is stored in the bricks and not passed through to the interior.
The BREEAM technical guidance explains that the exterior finish of a structure can affect how much heat it is able to reflect and how much it absorbs.
Posted by Jude Whitehouse