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    • 03 October 2014

      New School Project Reuses Old Bricks

      The façade of the new Frederiksbjerg School in Aarhus will be built entirely from recycled bricks. The reuse of materials is one of many features of a sustainable strategy that both children and the environment will benefit from.

    • The recycled bricks for the new facade stem partially from the old school building. The bricks have then gone through a special rinsing process in order to be used again. This approach has reduced the CO2 footprint of the building considerably, since production of new bricks is very energy-intensive in contrast to rinsing the bricks.

      ”Aside from the essential environmental advantages, our approach also makes sure that the new school fits aesthetically in the local urban environment. The new building will be a nice, red brick building, supporting the identity of the existing city area”, says Martha Lewis, architect and materials specialist at Henning Larsen Architects.

      “At Henning Larsen Architects we research and analyze materials to learn about their qualities and their impact on buildings, people and surroundings. This ensures that our projects are based on the newest available knowledge.”

      Also, the ecological characteristics of the materials have been assessed. Every applied material has been through a life cycle analysis, which defines the environmental impact of extraction, production, employment and disposal. Furthermore, the indoor climatic influence has been evaluated and been decisive for the use of materials:

      ”A healthy climate is essential for the learning process and well-being of the pupils. Children simply learn better in a well-balanced thermal and atmospheric indoor climate. For that reason, it has been very important for us to also consider the indoor environment, when selecting materials”, says Margrete Grøn, project manager and architect at Henning Larsen Architects.

      The groundbreaking has recently taken place, and the new school is expected to be inaugurated in 2016.