The February/March 2009 issue looks at managing the future. Features focus
on the changes needed to save the brick industry while news examines ceramic tiles created from recycled glass.
Co-ordinators of the UK’s Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment are seeking more companies to take part. The qualification focuses on three themes – design, creation of the built
environment, and value in use – and includes 10 days’ work experience
in industry, as well as specialist units.
Researchers in Italy have developed ceramic tiles that use difficult to recycle waste glass in place of feldspar minerals. This creates a product that can be fired at lower temperatures while providing an environmentally friendly way to dispose of the glass.
A high performance concrete designed to reduce the impact of bomb blasts is being investigated by engineers at the University of Liverpool, UK. The material is reinforced with steel fibres and has already been employed in slender footbridges and government buildings in Australia.
Even though the economy is in a recession, the brick industry should retain its core business — so says Katherina Lewis, Marketing Manager at the Brick Development Association.
Michael Driver, Director of the Brick Development Association, suggests that brickmakers will need to adapt to survive the challenges facing the brick industry.
