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Products & Manufacturing
The products for masonry construction are locally available through established local suppliers or direct from the many manufacturers.
Concrete blocks can either be aircrete or aggregate. These have different manufacturing processes that result in different densities and properties. Manufacturers of aircrete and aggregate blocks can be found through their specialist product groups: Aircrete Products Association and Concrete Block Association respectively.
Bricks and other clay products are also universally available and locally manufactured in the UK, see Brick Development Association.
Masonry walls rely on more than bricks/blocks and mortar. Much of the innovation has come from developments in the ancillary products such as wall ties, insulation, lintels, cavity closures.
Aggregate blocks cover a wide spectrum of solid, cellular (void does not go fully through block) and hollow...
Aircrete (aerated) blocks are the lightest of the family of concrete blocks and correspondingly have the highest insulation value, making them a popular choice for both internal walls and in foundations.
They are used in structural applications for low-rise construction, as components of curtain walling in higher buildings and for partitions.
Clay bricks have been used as a construction product for thousands of years, finding uses in Roman and Medieval times, and are still very much relevant today in modern architecture.
About three quarters of all mortars used in the UK today come from factory-produced sources as opposed to being mixed on site...
In UK Construction the term (EPD) is now short-hand for output compliant with EN 15804, the European standard which has been written to provide the rules for company and industry claims on environments credentials.
ECO2 is the embodied carbon dioxide associated with manufacture of the product and it’s constituents. It is only one part of whole-life CO2 impact.
Local manufacturing of masonry products and local sourcing of raw materials means that there is a good chain of custody...
There are significant volumes of by-product materials such as ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS) and fly ash that can act as part of the cementitious binder in concrete and masonry.
The masonry resource efficiency action plan (REAP) was introduced in 2013 to help improve resource efficiency across the supply chain and support coordination with the downstream supply chain.
The production industry has responded to the sustainability agenda with tangible improvements in processes and use of constituent materials. Furthermore improvements to minimise environmental impacts, and deliver economic and social benefits pre dated the sustainability agenda.
About the MMA
The Modern Masonry Alliance is a body that seeks to ensure developers and designers, customers and occupants understand the benefits of masonry solutions. It provides guidance on design of masonry and furnishes government and influencing organisations with the evidence of how masonry can contribute to a sustainable built environment. It is supported by the Aircrete Products Associaton, Concrete Block Association and Mortar Industry Alliance.
Follow us on Twitter @masonrymodern
To join the MMA
If you are interested in joining the Modern Masonry Alliance, contact us via telephone: +44 (0) 116 232 5170 or email: masonry@britishprecast.org