Sustainability

What is it? According to The Architects' Handbook of Professional Practice,

sustainability is the concept of meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. To us, it means providing a product that lasts a very  long time while at the same time, minimizing the resources employed to produce it. This principle guides us

now and it has since 1922 through three generations of the Steele family. We are committed to long-term conservation of resources and embrace the concept of providing a foundation building block for generations to come just as brick makers have done for thousands of

years.

Brick is “green”, in part, because it lasts a long time. Durability comes from the vitrification of clay particles into a dense mass. Simply, we mix clay shale with water to form a brick, dry it, and then, we fire it to around 2000 degrees. The particles melt or fuse together to create a body structure that resists the ravages of time and weather. There are many old brick structures still standing around the world like the Great Wall of China, the Basilica of Constantine and the ancient structures of the Indus civilization that have stood for thousands of years. Here, in our backyard of North Carolina, we have Pine Hall Brick homes that date back to 1923 (houses were built shortly after our founding in August of 1922) and they are still occupied, providing all the comforts of home.

                                        

Environmental Policy Statement | Energy | Environment | LEED