Kenoteq has marked a watershed moment for sustainable construction with its revolutionary K-BRIQ, made from construction and demolition waste, achieving certification from the British Board of Agrément (BBA), the UK's leading construction certification body.
As one of the world’s most sustainable low-carbon bricks, the K-BRIQ can now be confidently specified into a wide range of construction projects ranging from facades and feature walls to brick plinths. Kenoteq is beginning commercial production of up to two million bricks annually. This will scale to four million as required, from its first production facility in East Lothian. The company then plans to set up regional production both in the UK and internationally to provide low carbon building products from local waste.
The unfired K-BRIQ, made from nearly 100% recycled construction and demolition waste, has been certified with the same accreditation as standard clay bricks, yet produces 95% less embodied carbon due to its innovative production process.
With no standard testing regime for a non-traditional building material of this type, the K-BRIQ underwent an unprecedented level of rigorous testing over several years. Notably, it received the maximum durability rating possible, which is particularly important for the UK market.
As leaders in sustainability, public sector organisations and developers in the City of London are already showing strong interest in the K-BRIQ’s environmental credentials as it can help meet their ambitious climate targets. Educational estates, large scale office buildings and major urban regeneration projects are likely to be among early adopters.
This milestone follows additional certification for use in the United States through the prestigious DrJ Technical Evaluation Report (TER), positioning the K-BRIQ as a Scottish innovation preparing to make a global impact. With dual international certification secured, and European certification underway, the company is already fielding enquiries from across the world.
The K-BRIQ addresses significant environmental challenges in the construction industry. Today’s staple construction products drain finite resources while the sector is the largest contributor to landfill waste. The UK also relies on an environmentally damaging level of traditional high carbon brick imports. As Europe’s largest market for bricks, the UK uses around 2.5bn bricks annually. With over 500m imported and around 50m of these travelling from outside the EU, the environmental impact is colossal.
