Gent Waste Brick for DING

Gent Waste Brick for DING is a low-carbon facing brick that will be used for the new museum wing of Design Museum Gent. The brick is made of lime, sand, white cement and 63% raw materials derived from residual waste streams from Ghent, i.e. broken concrete and crushed construction glass. It is a unique white facing brick with a special texture, product of a “clean” production that does not involve a kiln. After extensive research, the design team decided to use pressed rather than fired bricks because of their lower carbon impact. In production, raw materials are mixed, after which the bricks are pressed, hardened and dried.

The jury on Gent Waste Brick for DING:

Rarely does the match between client, challenge, process and outcome feel so right. Based on its thorough research, Gent Waste Brick for DING managed to develop a brick with no firing involved. They have also explained their process meticulously and made it easy to understand so that it can be widely shared with the residents of Ghent. In one move, they have put the Design Research discipline broadly in the spotlight. Leading by example.

What does this award mean to you?

The award is important because it shows how we can achieve a circular solution for a better future through collaboration, innovative research and sustainable use of materials. At the start of the research in 2020, making a facing brick from local waste still seemed like a distant dream. A pressed façade brick was not yet available at that time. Together, we have overcome all obstacles and shown that innovation can happen in many places, even within the government. By actually manufacturing and using the facing brick, we show that there is a future for locally-pressed building materials, made from locally available residual waste streams and produced locally at the Arsenaalsite area in Ghent. We hope that it inspires companies. During Do the Right DING in spring 2024, we explained the production process to the general public to raise consciousness and awareness regarding this topic. 

How did the idea for this project come about?

During the design process of the new wing DING for Design Museum Gent, sustainability and circularity were prioritised right from the start. Building on the idea that residual waste streams are viable raw materials, the step towards making bricks with a share of waste wasn’t a huge one. When it appeared that there was an alternative to brick firing, we continued to work further on this train of thought. Using lime as a raw material allows the brick to harden through a natural chemical process called carbonation. This translates into enormous energy savings.

What makes your project so special?

The brick is the result of an effective collaboration between numerous partners: the architects ATAMA and Carmody Groarke, the supervising building consultant sogent, the research team of Local Works Studio, BC materials as producer, and Design Museum Gent. Thanks to a subsidy from Circular Flanders/Public Waste Agency of Flanders (OVAM) and with the support of the City of Ghent via sogent, we were able to launch a study. The prevalent laws and the necessary certification made it a complex process. It shows that you are stronger together and that, as a government, you can truly commit to a circular economy and pursue innovation.

How does it contribute to a better world?

The Gent Waste Brick for DING is a sand-lime brick of which 63% comes from residual waste streams. These are actual waste streams that are currently collected after careful sorting and then recycled. Due to the production process, which does not involve heating, the facing brick emits only a third of the embodied carbon of a regular brick. Hopefully, this project can encourage and inspire other cities to look for circular alternatives for their building materials.

Do you have any further plans for this project?

Researching the Gent Waste Brick for DING and producing the brick was a particularly exciting journey for BC materials. However, their passion lies in reclaiming soil to process it into clay products. It was clear from the start that they would only produce this facing brick for DING as a one-time process. But now the knowledge is available and hopefully this valuable technique will be adopted by others in future, to further develop the certification, scale up, and market the facing brick.