Building the future: it is possible with clay bricks
Andil Annual Meeting on 19/20 May in Rome, after more than seven years as President of the Italian Clay Brick and Tile Association, Catervo Cangiotti handed over office to his colleague Luigi Di Carlantonio. The new President, born in 1953, is an architect and entrepreneur from the Abruzzi and has taken up office with the firm intention of implementing his strategy with the active participation of industry representatives, experts and industry leaders.
The current crisis in the clay brick and tile industry was now lasting longer than envisaged and was putting the industry to a tough test. The Italian brick and tile industry is made up predominantly of small- to medium-scale enterprises, spread across the entire country and producing a volume of over 15 mill. t clay brick and tile products, sold mainly on the domestic market.
The challenges of “sustainable building” were also discussed. The Italian MP Stefano Saglia, Undersecretary at Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development, explained: “The promotion of ecological building can contribute to reducing our dependence on energy suppliers and to improving the environment in which we live.” The industry therefore had to supply energy-saving and environmentally sensitive products.
Dr. Thomas Fehlhaber, Unipor Deutschland, and Dr. Heimo Scheuch, President of TBE, the European Brick and Tile Association, described how economic recovery in other countries was supported by the construction industry.
Costanzo Di Perna, University of Technology in the Marches, Ancona, confirmed that the modern requirements to be met by construction are influenced increasingly by the aspects of energy and sustainability and are therefore addressing the undisputed strengths of clay bricks and tiles.
In a round of discussions various representatives from the construction sector explained their views in respect of the opportunities and capabilities of clay brick construction:
