BRICK HOUSE
In Nyborg, six single-family homes have been built under the name ‘the Mini-CO2 houses’. They are so named because they all seek to reduce the CO2 footprint of the construction through various environmentally sustainable strategies. The second house in the row of houses has been designed by architectural firm LETH & GORI and is called ‘Brick House’.
Brick House has a lifespan of at least 150 years and a facade that will not require any maintenance for at least 50 years. The CO2 footprint of the maintenance of the house has been reduced to a quarter compared with a reference house.
Lifecycle & CO2 Footprint
Brick House is also called ‘The Maintenance-Free House’, and has a lifespan of at least 150 years, according to Realdania Byg. Besides, as indicated by this title, the house also has a building envelope that will require no maintenance during the first 50 years of its life. The CO2 footprint of the maintenance of Brick House has been reduced by 25 % compared with a reference house.
Indoor Climate
All internal partitions are made of clay blocks that, besides being chosen for aesthetical reasons, according to Realdania-Byg, in many ways constitute sustainable solution. It saves time building walls using clay blocks, and the thermal mass of the clay blocks means that the house maintains a stable temperature, which is conducive to a healthy and natural indoor climate.
“Everyone can build a house that lasts for many years by using expensive and better materials, but that is simply not realistic in a real world confined by costs. The challenge has therefore been to build a house with a long lifespan within an ordinary financial framework. The solution is in the construction technique and in rediscovering old virtues like making overhangs.” Jørgen Søndermark, Project Manager, Realdania Byg 2014
About the case
In partnership with Realdania Byg, six different architectural firms have created six new single-family homes in Nyborg. The houses are called ‘the MiniCO2 Houses’ and, besides size and functional requirements, they all seek to reduce the CO2 footprint by adopting various environmentally sustainable strategies. The second house in the row of houses, Brick House, is designed by LETH & GORI with a focus on CO2 reduction through a minimum need for maintenance.
The long lifespan of Brick House means that you get the most out of the CO2 embodied in the house, resulting in a 30% lower CO2 emission than in a reference house. Brick House is made of materials and built using construction methods from traditional Danish brick building, which for centuries have proven their longevity. Emphasis has been on minimising the complexity of the house, which means that the structure and aesthetics of the house centre around one material – brick.