BRICKS
Schools as brick structures
Alastair Currie
Every school should embody stability, permanence, and strength, and its building materials should reflect this, proposes Mariana Lamont, Executive Director of the Clay Brick Association of Southern Africa( CBA).
Many decades-old legacy schools were built using clay bricks. This longevity is attributed to the natural durability and relatively maintenance-free nature of fired clay, especially in exposed-brick and facebrick buildings.
According to the CBA, clay bricks are entirely natural, pollutant-, and allergenfree. As inert materials they release no volatile organic compounds or toxic fumes and have no impact on air quality. They offer a long service life and resist ants, borers, and termites.
The value of this, says Lamont, is that“ maintenance budgets for existing buildings can be better used for enhancing learning through new facilities and teachers. This should guide the design and construction of current and future schools. We believe the natural structural strength and dimensional stability of clay brick, coupled with its high fire rating, makes it a practical and safe choice.”
Thermal efficiency and weather
Other key attributes of clay brick include:
• Proven energy efficiency
• Enduring resistance to extreme weather conditions
• Water resistance, while the outer layer naturally absorbs moisture
“ Clay brick walls that become damp, dry out quickly without showing a patina. Such bricks also have well-known thermal insulating properties, offering natural coolness in summer and warmth in winter,” Lamont explains.
Clay brick walls also regulate air humidity, creating a more comfortable environment for learners and teachers during the hottest and coolest months. This significantly reduces the need for mechanical heating and cooling, where available, lowering energy costs.
Sound attenuation is another important feature. The density of clay brick resists the transmission of airborne sound waves, shielding learners and teachers from excessive noise.
Clay brick versus ABTs
Clay brick increasingly competes with alternative building technologies( ABTs) like steel-frame construction, timber, tilt-up construction, prefabricated kits, and 3D printing. ABTs are especially popular when the client specifies a modular solution that is quick to erect and easy to replicate.
ABT systems can perform well for decades. However, where the original design intent is a quick, cheap, or temporary solution, these are the primary deciding factors and not comfort and durability.
Not all ABT systems are locally produced or quality-approved, but clay bricks produced by CBA members meet SABS, NHBRC, and other local and international standards and the clay is mined locally, with bricks manufactured in South Africa.
ABTs have formed part of programmes like the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative( ASIDI), which targets more than 3 000 schools for reconstruction or service improvements. The issue is whether short-term gains like prefabricated accommodation deliver lasting value.
According to the CBA, temporary solutions can ultimately cost more once maintenance is considered. The insulated lightweight walls typically used in prefabricated container-type buildings also fail to offer the interior environmental benefits such as humidity control and temperature regulation. Heat can build up through human activity and remain trapped. Without air-conditioning, the result can be a hot box that is uncomfortable and not conducive to efficient learning.
“ The evidence clearly shows that clay brick stands the test of time for generations. More significantly, the aesthetic appeal of brick adds a sense of security and stability, pride and belonging, especially when these schools are built for and by their communities,” Lamont concludes.
50 spring 2026 | www. tobuild. co. za