RESEARCH & KNOWLEDGE SHARING ~ FOR GOOD

As part of its mission to develop and grow awareness and support of clay masonry, Claybrick.org provides a forum and process of active knowledge- and technology- sharing and support.

To this end, its undertaking is to develop first-rate technical information and promotional material, and participate in various educational initiatives to assist members, building professionals, government and municipal decision-makers alike, to design, detail and build with clay masonry products, with absolute confidence.

These activities include:

• Ongoing research in new technologies, trends and developments, and to prove the sustainable performance of Clay Brick
• Educational workshops and training programmes to bring members up to speed on the latest research findings, environmental, statutory and compliance issues
• In-house 'Train the Trainer' programmes to ensure professional ClayBrick representation in all government, municipal and environmental forums throughout the regions. This includes  the delivery of technical presentations, such as:
• CPD lectures to architects and building industry professionals via the SA Institute of Architects and other professional bodies
• Participation in both local and international speaker platforms and/or the presentation of professional papers
• Participation at leading industry-related trade shows such as the Green Building Expo and the SA Housing Foundation and Conference
• Ongoing development of the www.claybrick.org.za website as a highly interactive information resource and communication tool, between the association, its members as well as those in the private, public and building professional sectors.

PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN - ENERGY SAVING
 
In the past year alone, Wayne Burton, the technical chairperson of ClayBrick, has lectured on Passive Solar Design and Clay Masonry to over 600 architects and industry professionals. The volume and frequency of new local and international research, resulted in the lecture being upgraded to 120 minutes, and accredited with a 0.2 category 1 CPD credit rating by the SA Institute of Architects.

"The well understood and researched subject of Passive Solar Building Design has leapt to the forefront of sustainable thinking in the professional building sector. With the abundance of free solar energy and the shortage and cost of other forms of energy in SA, this trusted approach provides hope for a truly sustainable built environment in the future. We are initiating in-house training programmes for our members to meet the demand for this knowledge" said Burton.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS

ClayBrick's focus is on independent research to quantify and validate the energy efficiency performance of its products, and to provide scientifically based recommendations for the development of the SANS 10400-XA and SANS 204 standards that interpret the pending amendments to the National Building Regulations.

Commenting on an independent research project undertaken by WSP Energy, Burton said, "There was a need for a rational basis to be developed for the specification of thermal capacity and thermal resistance in external walls, so as to ensure that energy efficiency is achieved at a level that is acceptable to the Department of Energy, whilst contributing towards achieving the 2015 energy reduction targets set out in the RSA Energy Strategy."

"The development of national standards and regulations for energy efficiency in buildings worldwide has brought about increases in the stringency of the thermal resistance (R) requirements of walling systems. However, nowhere, has a rational basis for the selection of the appropriate thermal mass or thermal capacity (C) been set out," mentioned Burton, “despite the incontestable science that declares the value of thermal capacity in the building envelope, especially for climates like ours.”

The CR method, pioneered by the National Building Research Institute in South Africa (formally part of the CSIR), in the early 1980’s, was refined and applied. The results were compared with the results of building energy simulation models and life cycle cost evaluations, to determine the minimum combination of thermal capacity and resistance needed in the building envelope, to ensure occupancy comfort in buildings, across the various climatic regions of South Africa.

The research project confirmed that the CR method can be used to construct a rational design tool and a simple deemed-to-satisfy rule for walling, by establishing minimum CR values suitable for use in SANS 204, as referenced in the National Building Regulations via SANS 10400-XA.