Scottish low carbon brick set for construction projects – Daily Business

Scottish building materials company Kenoteq has received key approval for its low-carbon brick, the K-BRIQ, which can now be use in a range of construction projects.

Certification has been granted by the British Board of Agrément (BBA), the UK’s leading construction certification body. 

Kenoteq, based in East Lothian, has now begun commercial production of up to two million bricks a year, which will rise to four million as required, from its first facility in East Lothian. It plans other production plants in the UK and overseas.

The 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. 

Low carbon bricks will help reduce the impact of construction waste which accounts for more than a third of the waste in global landfills.

Educational estates, large scale office buildings and major urban regeneration projects are likely to be among early adopters of the K-BRIQ.

A wall featuring 7,000 K-BRIQs was built for climate change summit COP28 in Dubai, saving more than three tonnes of carbon emissions compared to using a traditional brick.

The wall attracted significant global interest within the show, and was visited by Scotland’s First Minister and the Minister for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition, while King Charles visited the company’s showcase wall at Heriot-Watt University Dubai’s new campus, which created a feature within the ClimateHub taking place there during COP28.

The wall was deconstructed post-event and rebuilt in the entrance to the Headquarters of Dubai Holding serving as a wholly sustainable legacy to the event and enforcing Dubai Holding’s commitment to sustainability.

This BBA milestone follows certification for use in the United States, and with European certification underway the company is already fielding enquiries from around the world. 

Sam Chapman, co-founder and executive director of Kenoteq, said:  “This certification marks the arrival of a truly transformative building material for the construction and interior design industries.

“Securing BBA certification allows our product to be specified with confidence on commercial projects across the UK.

“We’ve already seen significant interest from leading property developers, architectural firms and public sector bodies committed to reducing the carbon footprint of their construction projects.”