5 Main Reasons To Choose A Porotherm Block For Building A House

Affordable, good or fast? As a rule, when building a house, we can choose only two options from the above, especially in the case of wall materials.

Until recently, their choice was small - aerated concrete (gas silicate block), cement blocks, wooden beam, ceramic brick (or silicate brick) in combination with insulation. And the “two options” rule always worked for them.

Fortunately, progress does not stand still, and large-format ceramic blocks or warm ceramics have appeared and began to be widely used in the world. Their bright representative is the products of the Porotherm brand, developed by Wienerberger, a leading global manufacturer of ceramic building materials.

For the first time, ceramic blocks in construction began to be used in Europe in the 70s of the last century and only with the beginning of the 2000s did the technology for building houses from ceramic blocks come to Russia.

What is the difference and what are the advantages of the new large-format ceramic blocks in comparison with the usual aerated concrete block, brick and wood and why do they allow you to combine durability, speed of construction and environmental friendliness? It's all about the design and the material!

1. Heat

Porotherm (Porotherm) has outstanding heat engineering characteristics that exceed the corresponding parameters for traditional wall materials. For example, in order to achieve thermal insulation properties comparable to Porotherm 38 Thermo (wall thickness 38 cm), the wall thickness of ordinary brick should be 235 cm, and the walls of aerated concrete with a density of D500 should be about 48 cm.

Porotherm 38 Thermo possesses these unique thermal insulation properties due to a new, more efficient form of voids and increased porosity of the ceramic shard . And the actual porization appears due to the features of Porotherm manufacturing: small sawdust is added to the clay .

 Burning during firing, they form open pores, up to 30% of the volume, which not only reduce thermal conductivity, but also help improve the microclimate - the walls “breathe” and quickly evaporate moisture. 

Wall thickness, which allows to achieve heat transfer resistance Ro = 3.24 (m2 * C) / W. This indicator complies with the requirements for thermal protection of external walls throughout almost the entire European territory of Russia (in accordance with SP 50.13330.2019 “Thermal protection of buildings”)

2. Accessibility And Speed of House Building

It is often believed that building a house from ceramic blocks is an expensive pleasure compared to a house made of aerated concrete and traditional ceramic bricks. This is because only the cost of wall materials is compared. For example, the retail price of a cube of aerated concrete blocks varies between 3000-3500 rub. \ M3, and the price of porotherm is 4000-5000 rub \ m3, the difference is noticeable. However, the whole point is in the details , if we consider the construction costs as a whole, the price difference between these materials is leveled.

Ceramic blocks Porotherm VS aerated concrete blocks

• Masonry from a large-format ceramic block does not require reinforcement between the rows of blocks, reinforcement under the windows and the construction of monolithic reinforced concrete belts, which takes at least 30 days;

• Finishing work can be started almost immediately after the erection of walls and roof installation, as long drying of walls is not required;

• High thermal insulation properties, which make it possible to do without additional insulation of the walls of the house.

As a result, the cost of a house made of ceramic block in comparison with aerated concrete does not exceed 5%, with the obviously better thermal insulation characteristics and environmental friendliness. You can calculate the number of blocks and their value for the area of ​​your future home using the Porotherm calculator.

Ceramic Blocks Porotherm VS Traditional Ceramic Brick

• The groove-comb connection reduces the cost of additional materials - vertical joints are not filled with masonry mortar and its consumption is reduced by 30% compared to traditional brick;

• One block replaces 10 to 14 bricks in the masonry, which significantly speeds up the process of building walls;

• Reduction of labor costs in comparison with savings in payment for work - a worker will need three times more time when laying a brick, therefore, you will pay three times higher for the workmen;

• The frame of an individual residential building made of ceramic blocks can be erected in two weeks without the use of large construction equipment;

• High thermal insulation properties, which make it possible to do without additional wall insulation.

3. Quality of life

Many factors affect indoor comfort, and at least half of them are significantly affected by the properties of the walls of the house. Walls made of ceramic blocks have a beneficial effect on the temperature regime and its stability , comfortable air humidity, the absence of drafts, and sound insulation. In short, ceramics allows you to create the most favorable living conditions for a person.

Good sound insulation of walls made of ceramic blocks allows the use of blocks for internal partitions with a thickness of 8 or 12 cm. An additional advantage is the complete hypoallergenicity of ceramic blocks - they do not “dust” (unlike aerated concrete blocks), do not contain slag impurities and do not emit harmful air into the air substances (as is the case with flame retardant wood impregnations).

4. Security

Ceramic walls are the safest for human life and health . Thus, the calcined clay is pH-neutral, which prevents exposure to chemicals from the environment. Ceramics have high fire resistance , as they are fired during the production process at a temperature of about 900 ° C. This compares it favorably with aerated concrete blocks , which lose strength at high temperature and are treated with compounds against burning and decay of wooden structures. Even after processing, they are able to maintain fire, while also emitting hazardous substances when heated.

And, of course, houses made of ceramic blocks are very durable and this is not surprising if we recall that structures from the closest "relative" of blocks - ceramic bricks, have been without problems for many centuries.

5. Strength

Large-format ceramic stones have high strength , which allows you to build objects up to 10 floors with load-bearing walls!

For example, with a strength of M100, the calculated resistance R to compression of the masonry on heavy solutions is 18 kg / cm2. In particular, this means that each linear meter of the wall from the Porotherm 38 Thermo block can withstand a load equal to 38cm * 100cm * 18kg \ cm2 = 68,400kg . This is enough with a margin to build a building up to 6 floors high.

Moreover, the masonry of blocks does not require reinforcement in the form of reinforcement, the device of a monolithic belt under the floor slab, and also has minimal deformability both under load and without it, unlike masonry from aerated concrete blocks.