Concrete Masonry: The Natural Choice

Journal 5 - Cement & Concrete Feature

Concrete technology has seen dramatic advances over the last century, with concrete being the worldwide material of choice for most major structural engineering projects (harbours, dams, bridges, etc). The same can be said for concrete masonry, which is now the worldwide preference in terms of all masonry requirements. Travel to the U.S.A. or Australia, most of Europe, the East, in fact just about anywhere except South Africa, and you will find concrete masonry in abundance. Only now are specifiers and contractors in South Africa, one of the few exceptions to the rule, starting to wake up to the fact that they've been missing the boat!

Think about it, it makes perfect sense. In just about any building the foundations are concrete, the slabs are concrete, the reinforced walls or the frame structures are concrete, the lintels are concrete, and the decks are concrete, not to mention the mortar binding the bricks together and the plaster covering the bricks. The natural choice for the brickwork should be concrete masonry.

This will result in a harmonious relationship within the structure, with the contraction rates for concrete and concrete masonry being very similar. The use of quality concrete masonry actually helps in eliminating the cracking problem so prevalent in many of today's buildings, often caused through the use of dissimilar materials within the structure.

Although concrete masonry has been around since the 19th century, relatively speaking it is the new kid on the block, especially in the South African market. Many contractors still adopt the "stick with what you know" attitude and continue to use the variety of older products available on the market, not fully realising the benefits available to them.

Although winter rainfall is a much lamented fact of building in the Western Cape, the climate has actually inadvertently helped many contractors. Unable to obtain alternative products, many contractors forced to use concrete masonry have discovered its unique advantages and have never looked back.

Batch produced in moulds, concrete masonry is smooth and consistent, has unparalleled dimensional accuracy, and because of its trueness of shape it is easy to use and quick to build, giving increased productivity in laying and reducing costs. Due to this uniformity and consistency, concrete masonry lends itself to bagged and fairface applications. It is highly compatible with most cementitious paint products. Concrete masonry exhibits excellent thermal efficiency and is highly energy efficient. It is cost effective without compromising on quality standards, and has low maintenance requirements. The savings realised through the use of concrete masonry can be better utilised for finishing costs and more critical design aspects.

The use of concrete masonry also benefits the environment and promotes sustainable building practice. Not only is concrete masonry fully recyclable, but leading manufacturers such as Cape Brick are using recycled crushed aggregate in the manufacture of their products. This has major advantages in terms of lessening environmental impact and gives rise to a truly green building product.

In fact, the question has to be asked, why use anything but concrete masonry?

For further information please contact Jean Tresfon at Cape Brick (021) 511-2006.