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Corobrik Paves the Way to the Future at UNISA in Parow

The new UNISA building in Parow demonstrates the incredible versatility of the de Hoop Red 50mm paver.

Attention to detail, energy efficiency and discovering new and innovative uses for tried and tested building materials were this project’s signature. Corobrik’s de Hoop pavers were used on both walls and floors – and those used as flooring inside the building were polished to give them a whole new glossy sheen.

UNISA Parow is becoming and increasingly popular tertiary institution. Additional accommodation comprising 20 classrooms, four examination halls, an internal student square for social activity and study, technical rooms and toilet facilities as well as a separately located administration wing was needed.

As part of an architect led initiative, the creation of an environmentally responsible building was prioritized and the vision was to achieve (in principle) a Green Star rating for the new north and south blocks. The use of the de Hoop clay pavers in horizontal and vertical surfaces fitted well with the professional team’s responsible material procurement objective both because they are locally available from Stellenbosch and because they could be factored in when it came to waste reduction, provision for the reuse and recycling of building materials, reduction of volatile organic compounds and the minimization of future maintenance.

The new UNISA building is primarily a structural steel frame with polished concrete floor slabs and de Hoop Red paver, face brickwork. The pavers were applied in both internal and external wall finishes and are inlayed into the polished concrete floors as banding across the threshold entrance into the building.

The building and structural steel is set out in horizontal brickwork dimensions. Brickwork fitted neatly into a palette of exposed steel structure and polished concrete and sandblasted off-shutter concrete. The face brick pavers’ 50mm vertical dimension resulted in the attractive brick proportions which contributed to the overall success of the building.

Because brickwork texture lends itself to the articulation of walls and planes with shadow, the architects experimented with the brickwork coursing, subtly working within the standard stretcher bond which remains the standard for brickwork and recessing brick pavers either as single elements or as continuous bands. This created interest in what could otherwise have been a bland expanse of a single material. The experiments extended to utilising various grades of sandblasting. The de Hoop Red has a white fluorescence visible on the surface and was sandblasted to create a homogenous solid surface.

The new UNISA building in Parow demonstrates the incredible versatility of the de Hoop Red 50mm paver.

Corobrik build a house for the homeless

Corobrik partnered with The University of Johannesburg (UJ)to build one house for a homeless family in Orange Farm, Gauteng as part of
Habitat for Humanity’s drive to build houses.

The company sponsored CoroJem Classic bricks that were used to build the house Students from UJ, two builders and part of the community offered their participation by donating their labour.

The plan was to build the house over five days although in the end it took two more days to build and finish. At the end of the day, the beneficiary of the house Mr Gerald Mbatha and his son Malibongwe, participants from UJ and the community were very proud of the beauty of their clay

Ms Milica Vukovic the lecturer at University of Johannesburg is pictured with Mr Gerald Mbatha and his son Malibongwe receiving the key to their new house which has been built from Corobrik’s CoroJem Classic Blend.

Corobrik Managing Director Dirk Meyer answers the 'green' questions

1. What is classified as a green material?

“Green” in building material terms is a relative term with greenness being referenced from two perspectives, namely:

  • Whether the building material is composed of renewable rather than non renewable resources, and
  • Impacts of the building material over the life of the product.

Typically, the “Greenness” of building materials is judged by their impacts in application. For example, fired clay bricks typically use non renewable fuel resources in their manufacture, and therefore may not be considered truly green - however – the clay from which clay bricks are made is a bountiful resource throughout South Africa – a fallow resource being put to a useful long term purpose that has low impacts on the environment. As an example clay brick is an inert material and as such does not release any Volatile Organic Compounds over the life of clay brick in application to negatively impact on the quality of the air one breathes. This inert quality of fired clay brings a “green” quality to the product over its entire lifecycle. Of course the maintenance free qualities of clay face bricks that incur no future carbon debt over the products lifecycle may be seen as another green quality.

2. What is Corobrik doing in the greening space?

As a business, we have been addressing “green” or environmental issues for many years. As with all businesses, global warming and the prevailing debate on solutions to global warming has raised the anti towards better understanding one’s business and the impact it has on the environment in carbon footprint terms. To this end Corobrik a long time back commissioned research with CSIR Built Environment and other professional organizations to better understand its carbon footprint and what we need to do better and more of to reduce our carbon footprint and enhance the environmental integrity of the business.
Some of the areas where Corobrik has been focusing to reduce environmental impacts have been in:

  • The extraction of clay raw materials;
  • Transport;
  • Processing of raw materials;
  • The ongoing dematerialization of its products;
  • The re-use and recycling of waste;
  • The wider use of cleaner burning fuels. Natural gas as now used at 6 of our major factories virtually halves the amount of Green House Gas emissions compared to the same bricks produced with coal as a firing fuel.

3. What constitutes a green Corobrik for example?
A green Corobrik is:

  • A brick that is manufactured in a way that respects the environment and the earth from where it comes.
  • A brick with a carbon footprint as low as possible in line with international best practice.
  • A brick manufactured to exacting international standards to ensure its structural and aesthetic integrity over its entire lifecycle.
  • A brick that has been successfully dematerialized, lowering the energy consumed in the manufacturing process and in transportation of the product to site. Notably, Corobrik through the introduction of new intrusion technology at its factories has achieved dematerialization reducing carbon emissions by approximately 20% when compared to “standard” clay bricks Corobrik previously produced with 25% voids. Such dematerialized brick also permit some 10% more bricks to be loaded on the same vehicle reducing the transport carbon footprint accordingly.

4. What impacts do Corobrik bricks have in a building?

In the first instance, it is:

  • A material that does not deteriorate losing its structural and aesthetic integrity during normal wear and tear, demonstrating longevity and durability that well “outlives its builder”.
  • A material that is colour fast providing long term aesthetic integrity. Corobrik bricks are a structural/decorative material all in one, do not warp, rot, peel or get eaten by insects and do not require replacement within a 50 year lifecycle as do less durable alternate walling materials.
  • Being maintenance free, Corobrik face bricks incur no future carbon debt associated with a lifetime of maintenance.
  • Corobrik bricks do not impinge on the air quality of habitable spaces, notably Corobrik clay bricks are inert and as such do not release any Volatile Organic Compounds associated with many applied finishes.
  • Probably most importantly in the context of today’s environmental paradigm and the need to address global warming through lowering the use of electrical energy, Corobrik bricks help contribute to optimal thermal performance of walling envelopes, greater thermal comfort for occupants and lowest energy usage for heating and cooling.

In this regard, extensive modelling research shows that between 25 to 40% of total operational energy of a home is consumed by heating and cooling interventions. Double skin clay brick walls have been shown by these studies to provide the lowest lifecycle energy cost for heating and cooling of houses.

In fact, the Full Life Cycle Assessment [LCA] by a company called Energetics in Australia
found that the total Green House Gas emissions applicable to a clay brick house for heating and cooling was between 16% and 26% lower than that for the timber frame alternate over a 50 year lifecycle.

These were sufficient to mostly offset the higher embodied energy of clay brick houses as built when compared to the lower embodied energy Timber Frame insulated weatherboard houses, over a 50 year lifecycle. The total carbon footprint of the clay brick house however became progressively lower in all situations past an 80 year lifecycle.

It is these lower lifecycle impacts clay brick construction provides, coupled with clay bricks of the lowest possible carbon footprint as provided by Corobrik, that defines why Corobrik clay brick construction is so relevant for a sustainable future.

5. What would Corobrik define as a sound environmental practice?

With clay brick manufacture, Corobrik defines sound environmental practice as:

  • Quarrying and manufacturing operations being undertaken within parameters and requirements of Environmental Management Plans for each quarry and manufacturing process.
  • Concurrent rehabilitation of all quarries taking place during annual quarrying operations to ensure the future rehabilitation liabilities are kept to a minimum.
  • Environmental Management Plan for each quarry that provides for final rehabilitation and re-use as a nature reserve around a pollution free dam, recreational facilities and/or sites for commercial and residential development and/or as farmland.
  • The use of continuous kiln technologies able to ensure the most efficient use of energy through the drying and firing processes.
  • Careful and continuous attention to lowering electrical power usage throughout the production process.
  • The wider use of cleaner burning fuels such as natural gas that halves the CO₂ emissions when compared to coal fuel.
  • Dematerialization interventions, where one makes the “same” brick product but of less material yet equal or more product attributes and with lower greenhouse gas emissions.

6. There is also a sustainability aspect to going green, how does Corobrik contribute to this factor?

Corobrik embraces a future that is environmentally sustainable within the context of a holistic approach that considers the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability.
Everything we have done to “green the business” has been economically viable and valuable to society in some way. It really is all a question of finding the right balance.

To take you through an example, our move to natural gas for firing of our kilns is a good one. If one looks at the cost of natural gas, it is higher than for other firing fuels. Therefore, if one just looked at fuel element of the production process it, has the propensity to make ones products uncompetitive and might have been discarded as an option.
However, when one considers the higher fuel cost against the social and environmental benefits, a different picture emerges. Natural gas provides other benefits that include:

  • A cleaner atmosphere
  • Reduced dust levels
  • A healthier work environment
  • Greater control of the firing process
  • Higher product yields of first grade products
  • Greater employee productivity.

This most importantly has provided Corobrik the opportunity to reach its objective to bring to the South African market bricks of the highest quality consistency and lowest carbon footprint in line with best international standards, this in turn supporting the sustainability of Corobrik’s business into the future.

Lincoln on the Lake, a R400 million commercial complex situated in Umhlanga’s New Town Centre is set to be the first Green Star SA-rated building in KZN and Corobrik is delighted that their products were used to help achieve this status.

Corobrik Orchestra 21 August 2011.

Pictured at the recent performance of the 11th Annual ‘Orchestra’ Concert held on Sunday 21 August 2011 is the youngest player in the orchestra, six year old
Aquilla Perumal with the oldest member, Freda Waygood who is 85 years.

They are pictured with from left: Sthe Sosibo Corobrik Human Resources Director, conductor Richard Cock and Corobrik Director of Marketing, Peter Kidger

Corobrik Paves the Way for Upgrades in Durban

Corobrik clay pavers have played a major role in urban regeneration projects countrywide – and Durban is no exception. According to Arthur Gammage, acting manager, Urban Design and Landscape architecture at eThekwini Municipality, clay bricks have made their mark on Durban’s urban landscape through the ages, making Corobrik’s clay pavers the ideal means of improving existing precincts where historical elements are distinguishing features and adding that perfect finishing touch to newly developed areas where modern architecture is the major influence.

Urban improvement projects where they have recently played a role include Verulam’s Ghandi Park and CBD, the Umkomaas CBD and Warner Beach’s new ‘town square’. The city recently embarked on Phase 2 of the Umhlanga Promenade upgrade and has selected 10 000 m2 of Cederberg, Champagne and Burgundy pavers for pedestrian areas which stretch from the Lighthouse south to the soon-to-be enlarged parking area.

Mike Ingram, Corobrik Director of Sales KwaZulu-Natal and Border says that Corobrik pavers while being skid resistant even when wet have well recognized durability characteristics to perform in the harsh beachfront environment pedestrian precincts. They are also easy to lay and maintenance friendly and can be easily ”unzipped” to gain access to underground services and then “rezipped" using the same bricks without leaving a "scar".

Durban has taken this one step further, lifting the Cederberg and Burgundy pavers as used to create a transport hub adjacent to the Durban Exhibition Centre during the 2010 Soccer World Cup for use elsewhere. Gammage says some of these uplifted pavers have been used to upgrade of Old Fort Place.

Ingram pointed out how the extensive upgrading and redevelopment projects well depict how newer paver products complement those used in the past and integrate well with other materials resulting in coherence and consistency.

A good example is Durban’s beachfront. During the recent upgrade, a total of 75 000 sq/m of Corobrik products were used. Michael Tod architects explain that Burgundy pavers and Natural Grey Corocobble featured strongly in the beachfront promenade while the beachfront medians combined Burgundy and Nutmeg pavers. This provided the variety in colour and texture we needed and was a natural contrast to the pigmented concrete used on the promenade.

Existing Corobrik clay pavers that featured strongly in designs during the 80’s upgrade were incorporated. The architect said that Corobrik clay pavers have a proven track record of reliability and durability within the harsh coastal environment. “We also wanted to limit the use of different materials. Since we had to incorporate the existing central beachfront into the design philosophy, it made sense to utilize the same pavers. With the introduction of a polished concrete band every 50m, we were able to unify the old with the new.”

While brighter peaches and blues of the Park Avenue range were used along Durban’s Golden Mile, darker colours - De Hoop Matt Brown (made in Corobrik’s Western Cape factory), together with Burgundy and Cederberg – were selected to fit in with the old world charm of the Florida Road precinct. Gammage says these complement both the turn of the century buildings in the area and the “street furniture” which includes light poles adapted from the trolley buses of yesteryear. In addition to using Corobrik clay pavers for pedestrian areas, intersections were also paved, adding aesthetic value whilst also acting as a traffic calming measure, creating a rumble effect due to the contrasting textures between the clay pavers and asphalt.

To date, within the Durban CBD, various inner city blocks have been upgraded using clay pavers. Examples of those used in the inner city in accordance with standard detail developed as part of the City Beautification specifications can be seen along Masabala Yengwa Avenue and Sandile Thusi Road. Corobrik’s Burgundy clay paver frames the infill of a standard 500x500mm concrete paver.

Again, it was a case of combining the old and the new. “During the 1980’s beach and city regeneration programmes, we made extensive use of local Corobrik pavers. Madison Dawn and Dusk pavers were used for the Centrum (old Railway Station) site. The Workshop Centre interior has Lawley Apricot and Nutmeg pavers. These still look good after years of foot traffic. We also used local Park Avenue pavers, ranging from Peach through Plum to Blue. Church Walk has panels of Plum framed by exposed aggregate concrete slabs. The Marine Parade and Lower Marine Parade had Peach and Blue bands and swirls for colour and combined well with other materials - especially rumblestone concrete pavers.”

Florida Road in Durban has turn of the century buildings and street light poles adapted from trolley buses of yester year is complemented by the pavers. To complement these old buildings, the roads and pavements have been repaved in Corobrik De Hoop Matt Brown clay pavers.