Building systems
In addition to its aesthetic properties, clay brick provides a range of structural and construction cost benefits, as two recent projects demonstrate.
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lay brick is an integral part of the personality of the new uMkhumbane Cultural Museum at Cato Manor, Durban, which was designed by Choromanski Architects for eThekwini Municipality. This iconic five-storey museum tower will document the socio-political chapters of Cato Manor, cultural traditions and the history of the Zulu nation, as well as offering venues for educational and recreational events. Its inner skeleton is concrete while the outer skin is clay; various materials were investigated before confirming clay brick as the final cladding. Approximately 500 000 Corobrik Firelight Satin bricks shape the tower, with Silver Grey Travertine employed on ancillary spaces and constructed using a simple stretcher bond with minimal embellishment. However, as Sada Naidu from LSC Brunette Consulting Civil/Structural Engineers points out, clay bricks were not chosen purely for their aesthetic impact. “Because of its inherent strength, brick achieved higher walls utilising the method of diaphragms, thereby avoiding extra reinforced concrete beams and added cost while providing ideal thermal and environmentally sustainable properties,” Naidu explains.
Corobrik’s CoroJem Classic Blend Travertine provided the perfect finish to the Zamdela Community Residential Units in Sasolburg (Credit: Urban Dynamics)
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IMIESA September 2018
Bricks that celebrate life uMkhumbane Museum – north entrance elevation (Photo: Roy Reed)
The city’s master plan for the site envisages the future inclusion of a cultural park and public neighbourhood square, further retail spaces for trader and crafter stalls, and facilities for children.
Affordable housing Corobrik’s products continue to contribute to the built environment landscape via a broad range of building initiatives, extending from schools to commercial structures. A recent social housing example is the Zamdela Community Residential development in Sasolburg, which was constructed out of Corobrik’s CoroJem Classic Blend Travertine face bricks. The CoroJem is essentially twice the width of a standard brick and laid as a single skin, making
it 20% more affordable than the double-skin wall format. Phase 3 was completed in November 2017 and consisted of 128 subsidised two- and three-bedroom duplex units. Falling under the Metsimaholo Local Municipality, the project was funded by the Free State Department of Human Settlements. Incline Architects said these highquality bricks met the client’s requirements for a unique product that matched both the budget and the intention to design homes that created a sense of belonging. According to Musa Shangase, commercial director, Corobrik, the CoroJem was designed to meet the growing needs of the affordable housing sector, providing a sustainable building option that fuses aesthetics with quality. “Corobrik is committed to working with government in its ongoing aim to create homes where people really want to live,” explains Shangase. “These bricks are used to construct inexpensive, maintenance-free developments that have a number of associated living benefits including natural sound-proofing, thermal qualities and incombustibility.” The natural, earthy colours and textures don’t require plastering and painting, saving on future maintenance costs, and the low life-cycle energy costs make this an environmentally sound choice for construction.