Technical Note #07 Embodied Energy in Masonry Walling

A review of the Energetics Life Cycle Assessment for Clay Brick Masonry Walling in Australia, as well as research papers presented at the Sustainability Conferences SB10 & SB11, in addition to related articles as published by or on behalf of the Clay Brick Association of South Africa (ClayBrick.org), among other sources.

Methodology

Publications on the principles of Sustainable Development are reviewed. Papers published during the proceedings of the SB10 and SB11 conferences, and earlier articles as published by ClayBrick.org on the topic of Sustainability and the Life Cycle Assessment of Masonry Walling in Australia, were reviewed as possible indicators for the relevance of Embodied Energy in the context of the Clay Brick manufactures in South Africa.

Outline

• Why carbon is central to Sustainability Measurement
• The Energy Components in Sustainable Building
• Embodied Energy Forms
• Measuring Embodied Energy
• Embodied Energy expectations for bricks & masonry
• Conclusions as to the value of Embodied Energy