AAC Lightweight Concrete Blocks and the Green Construction Shift
Modern construction faces challenges with environmental regulations, increasing costs and the need for green, energy-efficient materials. Traditional construction materials often do not meet these requirements, reducing the sustainability of the project.
Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) offers a breakthrough solution, combining durability, economy and environmental friendliness to meet modern construction needs.
1. Green material trend
In fact, using terracotta bricks will consume a lot of arable land, cause loss of land area and seriously affect the country's overall food security, and to create those bricks, we have to use a large amount of fossil coal and firewood, leading to deforestation, ecological imbalance and pollution of our own living environment.
In Vietnam, the Government issued Decision No. 567 dated April 28, 2010 on the Green Materials Development Program, aiming at advanced and modern production technology, eliminating outdated construction material production lines that pollute the environment, and producing high-quality, functional construction material products that meet international standards; Efficiently use resources, thoroughly save energy, raw materials and fuel.
In 2022, the world's green materials market capacity is worth $205 billion and is expected to reach $755 billion by the end of 2030, with about 15% annual growth, according to Zion Market Research, as countries commit to reducing carbon emissions to protect the environment.
2.Introduction of AAC blocks
Autoclave Aerated Concrete (AAC) was invented by Swedish Architect Johan Ericksson in the 1920s. Today AAC is a popular construction material in Europe, Asia, Oceania, America and is increasingly widely used in Vietnam. AAC is an unburnt, environmentally friendly material, in line with world trends.
In Vietnam, AAC blocks are also known by many names such as: aac bricks, ultra-light concrete, lightweight concrete bricks, lightweight concrete bricks, ultra-light bricks, non-fired masonry materials, autoclaved bricks... In addition, longer large format aac bricks, with a steel core, are called autoclaved aerated concrete panels, there are many other names such as: alc wall panels, ALC lightweight concrete panels, ALC lightweight concrete panels, alc floor panels, alc panels, aac panels, super concrete floors lightweight, lightweight concrete floors, alc panels, ultra-light concrete panels...
Autoclave Aerated Concrete (AAC) was invented by Swedish Architect Johan Ericksson in the 1920s. Today AAC is a popular construction material in Europe, Asia, Oceania, America and is increasingly widely used in Vietnam. AAC is an unburnt, environmentally friendly material, in line with world trends.
In Vietnam, AAC blocks are also known by many names such as: aac bricks, lightweight concrete bricks, ultra-light bricks, non-fired masonry materials, autoclaved bricks... In addition, longer large format aac bricks, with steel cores, are called autoclaved aerated concrete panels, there are many other names such as: alc wall panels, ALC lightweight concrete panels, ultra-light concrete panels, alc floor panels, alc panels, ultra-light concrete panels...
The United Nations (UNDP) has implemented the project "Increasing the production and use of non-fired masonry materials in Vietnam" with the project's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through increasing the production and use of non-fired masonry materials, towards Net Zero or "Net Zero Emissions".(Click to see the United Nations high-tech technical training course at HASS factory)
Click to see AAC's Netzero journey
3. Benefits
Warm in winter and cool in summer, saving energy.
AAC blocks have very good thermal insulation properties compared to other materials. Maintains a stable temperature in the home, helping homeowners save on air conditioning costs in the summer or heating costs in the winter.
Block out the noise, keep the peace.
Due to its honeycomb structure, lightweight concrete reduces sound transmission between rooms and noise from outside, helping to keep the living space quiet.
100 years of sustainability, maintaining value for the future.
Aac bricks have been used for nearly 100 years around the world and have experienced many harsh weather conditions.
Firm in the face of fire, choose life with peace of mind.
Aac ultra-light bricks are inorganic and non-flammable materials. Prevents fire spread, does not emit toxic gases and has fire resistance up to 4 hours (EI240), meeting fire resistance requirements of QCVN 06:2022/BXD
Gentle, quick construction, great cost savings.
The dry density of autoclaved bricks is only 1/3 of that of fired clay bricks. Therefore, it helps reduce the load on the foundation and structure and makes it easier to manipulate. Lightweight concrete is light in weight, thereby saving labor costs, and the thin joint construction method helps save mortar.
Green materials, sustainable future.
Autoclaved bricks are green, unburned materials that help reduce environmental waste by 30%, use 60% less energy and reduce more than 55% of greenhouse radiation compared to traditional bricks.
Due to its honeycomb structure, lightweight concrete reduces sound transmission between rooms and noise from outside, helping to keep the living space quiet.
AAC blocks have very good thermal insulation properties compared to other materials. Maintains a stable temperature in the home, helping homeowners save on air conditioning costs in the summer or heating costs in the winter.
Fast construction
4.Cost savings
25%
Less foundation consumption
2X
Construction speed is faster
40%
Reduce electricity costs
- Light weight, reduces foundation and structural load by 25%
- Construction speed is 2 times faster than traditional bricks, even 7 times if using alc wall panels
- Significant savings in construction mortar, reducing construction costs.
- Warm in winter, cool in summer, reducing electricity costs by 40%, meeting the requirements of QCVN 09:2017/BXD.
Price of aac tiles and alc HASS wall panels
- Price of aac tiles starts from 1,600,000 VND/m3 (equivalent to 160,000 VND/m2)
- The price of ALC wall panels starts from 3,100,000 VND/m3 (equivalent to 310,000 VND/m2), reducing construction time by 7 times compared to traditional materials.
Below are the clausesCost of building a house with AAC blocks and fired clay bricks
| **ALC ALC lightweight concrete panels** | **AAC Bricks** | **Red Brick** | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions (mm) | 100x600x1800 | 100x300x600 | 80x80x180 |
| Norm (block/m2) | 1 | 5.5 | 65 |
| Mass (kg/m3) | 550 – 650 | 1041 | |
| Construction mortar norms (kg/m2) | 2 | 3 | 20-25 (1600 VND/kg) |
| – AAC wall: Paint 3mm thin with skimcoat / – fired clay brick wall paint 10-15mm thick with regular cement sand. | 2 sides of the wall are 3mm thick | 2 sides of the wall are 10mm thick | |
The total cost of using aac bricks is more economical than fired clay bricks, moreover, the quality of life will be better when using aac bricks:
- Reduce foundation load, economic benefits up to 30%
- Better insulation, creating a cool living environment, saving 40% on electricity bills.
- Good soundproofing, quiet
- EI240's best fire protection today, creating peace of mind, especially suitable for factory buildings, industrial buildings, and projects requiring fire prevention and fighting.
- To increase the usable area, if building a wall 200mm thick with fired clay bricks, only need to use 150mm aac bricks.
- Loss of 3-5% compared to 5-10% of fifired clay bricks.
- The construction site is cleaner.
- Green materials comply with LEED, LOTUS, BCA GreenMark standards.
- Cement based so long life and sustainability.
- Non-toxic, VOC is 0, does not affect health.
- Construction is faster and more convenient.
For ALC panels with steel core, the total cost is higher, however, in addition to having all the above benefits of aac tiles, it also brings the following economic benefits:
- ALC autoclaved aerated concrete panels can help investors speed up construction by up to 12 - 15%, helping to put the project into operation soon, reducing interest costs.
- The exact size of the lightweight concrete slab also helps reduce the cost of completing the project, and can even construct underground systems such as electricity, water, cable systems... easily.
- Risks during transportation are reduced, construction installation speed requires less manpower, and labor costs are also optimized.
Using AAC blocks in the design of 12-storey buildings - 3 actual apartment blocks:Click to download the file.
5.Compare lightweight concrete bricks and other materials
| **Unit** | **Aac brick** | **Fire clay bricks** | **Aggregate cement bricks** | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | TCVN 7959:2017 | TCVN 1450:2009 | TCVN 6577:2016 | |
| Production materials | Cement, sand, lime, plaster & additives | Clay | Cement, sand, stone, additives | |
| Density | Kg/m3 | 450-750 | 1600-1980 | 1200-2100 |
| Compressive strength | MPa | 3.5-7.5 | 4-12.5 | 5-20 |
| Thermal conductivity coefficient | W/m.k | ~0.16 | ~1.15 | ~1.03 |
| Sound insulation coefficient | dB | ~44 | ~28 | ~35 |
| Fireproof | hour | ~4 | ~1 | ~2 |
| Quantity | blocks/m3 | 83 | 650 | |
| Accuracy | mm | ± 1.5 | ± 5 -15 | ±2 |
| Shrinkage | mm/m | |||
6. Products
Surrounding wall
Partition wall
Fence
HASS Block
HASS Block
Used to build boundary walls and partitions. Light weight, saves construction time, soundproof, heatproof, fireproof...
Floor covering
Roofing
HASS Floor
Used to build floors and roofs. Light weight, saves construction time, soundproof, heatproof, fireproof...
Surrounding wall
Partition wall
Used to build boundary walls and partitions. Light weight, saves construction time, soundproof, heatproof, fireproof...
Masonry mortar & plaster for
HASS products
Mortar & Putty
HASS Mortar
Used to build floors and roofs. Light weight, saves construction time, soundproof, heatproof, fireproof...
| **Specifications** | **AAC Bricks** | **ALC wall panels** | **ALC floor panels** | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry volume weight (Kg/m3) | 450-650 | 500-750 | ||
| Average compressive strength (MPa) | 3.5-7.5 | |||
| Dry shrinkage (mm/m) | ≤0.2 | |||
| Fire resistance (h) | ~4 | |||
| Sound insulation coefficient (dB) | ~44 | |||
| Dry thermal conductivity (W/m.K) | 0.16 – 0.26 | |||
| Dimensions (mm) | Long | 600 | ≤3800 | |
| Wide | 200,300,400 | 600 | ||
| Thick | 75,100,150,200 | 75,100,150,200,250 | ||
7. Application
HASS autoclaved aerated concrete products are suitable for many projects and applications:
- Townhouse
- High-rise building
- Factory
- Farm
- Cold storage
- School
- Hospital
- Shopping mall
- Karaoke
- Hotel
- Social housing
- Bird's nest house
- Roof heat protection
1AAC blocks
2ALC wall panels
3ALC floor panels
4Stucco or Skimcoat
5Thin joint mortar
8. Customer reviews
Duplex by Giang Oi
Villa of Mr. Kens & Ms. Vicky
SEESON eyeglasses store
9. Certification
The product meets domestic and international standards, suitable for projects requiring green certification such as Lotus, Leed, BCA GreenMark...
10. Lightweight concrete production process
HASS Joint Stock Company
Establish:2015
Headquarters:Tan Uyen, Binh Duong is far from City. Ho Chi Minh 30Km, River port.
Acreage:2ha
Capacity:200,000 m3/year (125 million standard blocks)
Technology:Virtue
AAC block production process at HASS factory
11. Construction instructions
Instructions for constructing AAC blocks
Instructions for constructing ALC wall panels
Download the AAC block construction instruction documentClick to download
Download instructions for constructing ALC wall panelsClick to download
12. Typical customers and projects
Aeon Mall Binh Duong
Bosch
Metro Ben Thanh
Lego
The Krista
P&G
Takigawa
Oncology Hospital
VCB Thu Dau Mot
Explore a civil project built with ALC HASS panelsClick to view
13.Customer service
TECHNICAL SUPPORT:Support in consulting appropriate solutions for customer projects by experienced engineers.
ESTIMATE CALCULATION:Help customers analyze and estimate materials needed for the project. Avoid arising and wasting.
CONSTRUCTION TRAINING:Experienced technical experts come to the construction site to train the construction team.
DELIVERY COORDINATOR:Assist customers in coordinating deliveries in accordance with needs at the construction site.
CONSTRUCTION SURVEY:Technical experts will come to the construction site when required and periodically visit the construction site to assist in solving technical problems.
14.Disadvantages of aac bricks
Availability:Currently difficult to buy because it is not popular. We are developing our distribution system, while we are looking for ways to bring products to customers.
Due to its large size:especially alc wall panels, so transportation to projects with narrow roads or to high floors is difficult. However, now there are many experienced construction contractors who can solve this problem well.
New construction method:Construction is easy but not everyone can do it. HASS can send a team to train contractors. In practice, it only takes 1-2 sessions for the contractor to be able to do the construction themselves. Now, after more than 10 years of development in Vietnam, there are many construction teams specializing in aac tiles and ALC wall panels, which we can introduce to you.
Easy to chip edges:There needs to be a careful method of packing, transporting, and loading goods. However, once the wall is built into a block and completed, the wall becomes very solid, it is very difficult to break the special structure of a wall built with bricks and HASS wall panels.
15. Frequently asked questions when using aac lightweight bricks
1. How much does 1 aac brick weigh?
Aac brick size 600x200x100 weighs about 7-8kg
2.How much does ALC panels weigh?
ALC panel size 1800x600x100 weighs about 70-80kg
3. Are AAC tiles waterproof?
Aac bricks absorb much less water than fired clay bricks, however all of the above two types of bricks have the same waterproofing treatment. We recommend using specialized mortar and plaster to ensure the highest efficiency while also waterproofing the surface of the wall.
Most of the time, when permeable, it will seep through the masonry joints. When using aac bricks, there will be 10 times less veins than fired clay bricks, with even less alc panels, so when constructing, carefully treat the joints to avoid water seepage.
4. Use lightweight concrete bricks or ALC lightweight concrete panels for exterior walls?
Completely meets the quality and technical requirements for building exterior walls.
5. Can I hang things on aac brick walls?
Hanging heavy objects on aac light brick walls or alc panels is completely normal, just use expansion screws, do not nail directly to the wallClick to watch the hanging demo video.
6. Wall cracking phenomenon of AAC blocks
Unburnt materials in general and AAC in particular have been used for nearly 100 years in the world, experiencing many harsh weather conditions. Very popular in European countries, America, Australia, Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia... and increasingly used in Vietnam for high-rise, industrial and civil projects.
The wall itself is built with AAC blocks without cracking, because the shrinkage of the bricks is very low (only about 0.02mm/m), and the adhesion strength is high because it is built with specialized mortar. AAC blocks are made of tiny air holes so they absorb external impacts well.
Cracks due to the following reasons:
- Applying the same construction techniques as using traditional bricks to the design and construction of AAC blocks without paying attention to their completely different properties, leading to wall cracking problems.
- Displacement of frame and foundation is large.
- The mortar grade and tile grade are not the same, leading to different shrinkage and cracking.
7. Are aac bricks popular in the world?
AAC blocks are very popular in the world, having been used for more than 100 years, especially in developed countries such as Germany, England, Russia, America, Australia, Japan, Korea, China, Türkiye... thanks to the superior insulation ability of aac bricks and alc wall panels. And it is increasingly used as the world becomes concerned about health and sustainability. In developed countries, alc panels are very popular when human resources are lacking and labor costs are too high. Below is a review of aac tiles in the US
16.Where to buy aac bricks?
Please call now so we can accompany you.
Factory: No. 99 DT747, Thanh Phuoc, Tan Uyen, Binh Duong, Vietnam(Directions here)
(HASS editorial board)
Need a quotation or technical consultation?
Send your request and the HASS technical team will respond during business hours.
