Chris Bates
BUILDING WITH
Thin-joint was used in this scheme by D&M Homes to help achieve good airtightness.
The project reached weathertight stage in just 16 weeks, despite the use of natural stone for the outer leaf
While offsite-manufactured structural systems are huge in Europe and further afield, in the UK many of us still have an affinity with the humble building block. Masonry construction offers a pleasing sense of familiarity and solidity that’s hard to beat – plus modern materials and techniques mean it hasn’t skipped a beat when it comes to achieving the kind of performance levels self-builders and renovators expect.
But there’s always innovation to be had, especially in areas such as construction speed and energy efficiency. One system leading the charge is thin-joint. So is this variant on standard blockwork worth considering for your project?
Traditional masonry