Green building, energy efficiency, and sustainability. These words have made their way into the thinking of architects, builders, and consumers. And for good reason. Those who choose to construct a building according to sustainable principles are reducing the long-term impact the structure has on the environment. Ultimately, sustainable and green building design is about creating high performance buildings that meet the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Today, clay brick has proven its contributing role in green building and sustainable design. Having been used as a building material for thousands of years, brick is made primarily from clay and shale, two of the most abundant natural resources. Brick also contributes to sustainable design through its long life span, energy efficiency, durability, recycled content, local availability, acoustic insulation, low construction waste, and potential for reuse. Finally, modern brick manufacturing incorporates many sustainable practices of its own and has captured great production efficiencies that reduce its environmental impact.

Green Building Rating Systems

A number of building rating systems have been developed to help assess the sustainable attributes of building design and construction. Most of these rating systems focus on the environmental aspects of sustainable design, in the five broad categories of energy use, water use, site impacts, material use, and indoor environment.

On the non-residential side, two primary green building rating systems are used to evaluate the majority of projects. The U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED^TM for New Construction and the Green Building Initiative's (GBI) Green Globes software set standards for recognizing achievement in green building and sustainable design.

For residential projects, USGBC's LEED^TM for Homes and the National Association of Home Builders' National Green Building Standard provide a similar set of standards.

Additional Information

For more information, the following educational materials are available for free download.

• The Bottom Line on Brick's Role in Sustainability and Green Building Design NEW!
  
  Technical material in this issue:
      –  Brick's Sustainable Design Attributes for Production and Custom
          Builders
      –  Incorporating Brick in Sustainable Design
          Volume 4: Issue 1
• Technical Note 48
  
  A techincal discussion on the relationship of sustainable design to brick manufacturing, use, and recycling. Ways brickwork can earn points under LEED^TM and other green building rating systems are identified.
• Brick In Architecture - Sustainability Issue
  
  Examine four green projects featuring brick and earn AIA/CES credits through a technical discussion on "Sustainability and Brick Masonry".
• Builder Note 5
  
  Details on how brick can earn points under LEED^TM for Homes and the National Green Building Standard.
• U.S. Green Building Council


• LEED for New Construction


• LEED for Homes


• Green Building Initiative


• Green Globes


• National Green Building Standard