In 2021 the UK built 175,390 houses this needs to increase to \>300,000 per year to meet housing needs. One problem faced by builders is the loss of walls after they have been built but before the cement is set due to high winds. These walls must be removed, the materials disposed of and then new walls constructed, increasing outlay and delaying construction. To prevent this occurring I am developing BrickBud, a re-usable propping system that can support walls whilst they are vulnerable. No form of re-usable wall propping is available.

Collapsed walls cost the UK at least £2.65M per annum in lost materials, replacement materials and labour, with an average of one in one hundred houses suffering from a collapsed wall (30 years industry experience). These figures are based on an average size cavity wall requiring approximately 550 bricks, 85 blocks with 2 tubs of cement, total cost £750 plus labour at £250 per day. This figure will only increase with increased construction rates and do not include waste removal, skip hire or additional management. Builders often use wooden beams to try to prevent collapse, this ineffectual and a further £10M of timber is wasted per annum.

Bricks are fired at \>1000°C and 22.5 kg of CO2 is generated per m2 of brickwork. Based on the figures above 473 tons of CO2 is released making the lost bricks and a further 473 tons to make their replacements, a total of 946 tons of CO2 per annum. BrickBud will help the construction industry towards Net Zero by reducing CO2 release by 946 tons per annum.

Of greater concern are the associated health and safety issues. If personnel are on site when the collapse occurs there is a clear risk to life or serious injury leading to lost time, insurance claims and increasing insurance premiums.

This project will allow me to take my patent pending BrickBud designs to the pre-production prototype stage by using the services of Icon Plastics and TWI Ltd. At the end of the project I will have a working prototype, design drawings, exact costings for manufacture plus FEA demonstrating the application of the propping with maximum wind loadings.

By commercialising the BrickBud system, the construction industry could save approximately £12.65M plus reduce the carbon footprint of construction by 946 tons of CO2 per annum.