The competition aims to promote a new, fast-fix brick system that is significantly faster to install than brick slips. It’s the newest innovation in the full spectrum of MMC products launched for the UK housebuilding market.

The new weberwall brick from Saint-Gobain Weber is a simple lightweight brick effect product supplied on mesh sheets, in a range of highly realistic brick finishes.

Weber is so confident that even the most seasoned bricklayer will not be able to spot the difference that it is offering a prize draw* of an iPad Mini or £500 of Virgin Experience Day Vouchers at UK Construction Week to all those who can correctly guess which is which.

As a UK factory-manufactured product that falls into category 6 of the Government’s recent MMC definition, weberwall brick is particularly suitable for applications where a housebuilder needs to achieve a quality finish but without having to use specialist labour on site – for example, completing the facades on garage blocks, plant rooms, bin stores or other ancillary buildings, or as a factory-applied cladding for volumetric modules or panellised build systems.

weberwall brick comes in three different designs to accommodate common housing design requirements: wall wrap, corner wrap and solider wrap, minimising the need for cutting and allowing workers to install the product quickly. It also comes in a wide range of brick colours.

Kelvin Green, product manager, Saint-Gobain Weber said:

“About half of all new builds in the UK have brick façades, a clear indication that people find brick aesthetically appealing. However, with the cost of bricks increasing and a six-month delay on brick allowances and expensive alternatives such as brick slips and acrylic bricks, meeting this aesthetic demand is costing housebuilders dearly.

“Bricklayers are highly skilled tradespeople and, as a result of the skills gap, are often in short supply. Wages are also reported to be rising sharply. These are strong drivers for the increasing interest in MMC for new home construction.

“With this in mind, we developed the weberwall brick as a viable alternative to traditional bricks and brick slips, enabling the housebuilder to save its skilled bricklayers for more complex jobs.”

Applied directly to the substrate with a specially formulated render before being pointed in the same way as a standard brick, weberwall brick is faster to install, breathable and eliminates efflorescent lime bloom as there is no lime or cement in the brick wrap. The brick finish is formulated from 95% natural minerals bound in cross-linked polymers to form a colourfast, frost-resistant surface.

It is also significantly lighter than traditional bricks. One wall wrap (displaying 20 brick faces) weighs the same as one standard brick, therefore saving handling and transport costs and easing the build process. weberwall brick is suitable for external façades and also for interior design, providing a modern industrial finish to the interiors of bars, restaurants, shops, leisure centres and other buildings.

Available from autumn 2019, weberwall brick is available in a selection of colours and finishes. Bespoke colour matching is also available for large-scale projects.

To find out more about weberwall brick visit Weber’s stand at UK Construction Week (B292 in the Build area, Hall 10) to take part in the ‘spot the difference’ challenge and for a live demonstration of weberwall brick installation on 8-10 October 2019.

*Terms and conditions apply, please see the Saint-Gobain Weber website: www.uk.weber/weberwall-comp