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I have to disagree, and I don't think the first world vs. third world comparison is helpful. Bricks are quite common in Europe, at least for buildings up to a
by andor 6y ago
I have to disagree, and I don't think the first world vs. third world comparison is helpful.
Bricks are quite common in Europe, at least for buildings up to a certain height. The resulting buildings here (in Germany) offer higher living quality with better thermal and acoustic insulation than a typical North American beams + drywalls building. That's just an observation though and maybe the general construction method is not the cause - maybe it's just because our windows and doors are much more solid.
- djrogers 6y agoYeah, it’s not a 1st / 3rd world thing as much as a regional thing. Here in California wood is practically free, while stick and sheathing construction is the best way to build an earthquake resistant home. Other parts of the world have different concerns and costs.
- axaxs 6y agoSimilarly, it's not common to build stick houses in Florida. Definitely regional.
- crazygringo 6y agoBricks and stone provide abysmal thermal insulation. North American drywall with insulation is far, far better thermally. It's not even close. Also... what does "much more solid" windows mean exactly? Like, are you saying European window glass is... thicker or something? Which wouldn't make any sense, and I'm not even sure what a benefit would be?
- jfim 6y agoTilt and turn windows, with triple or quadruple panes, low-E glass, and two gaskets for air sealing are much more common in Europe than in the US for residential construction, where they would only be seen in highly energy efficient high end construction.
- ovi256 6y agoThey're also only seen in high end energy efficient construction in France, Spain, the Netherlands and I've never seen them in Eastern Europe. They're frickin' expensive! They may be more common than in the US, but still not "common".
- TeMPOraL 6y agoMaybe triple-glazing is more rare, but at least in Poland, by my observation, almost everyone seems to have double-glazed, PVC-framed windows. I only ever see single-pane windows in really old and poor houses. IIRC, there was a rush of replacing old windows with double-glazed ones in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
- crazygringo 6y agoIndeed. And double-paned windows are in the majority of homes in the US [1]. And triple-paned windows are a lot more expensive for not a ton more benefit no matter where you live. Unless someone has some actual comparative statistics, the idea that European windows are somehow more "solid" than North American ones isn't at all obvious. I've spent years living on both continents and never noticed a huge difference. What matters the most is simply the age of and investment in the building, not which continent you're on. [1] https://www.dwmmag.com/survey-multi-pane-windows-now-on-59-percent-of-homes/ https://www.dwmmag.com/survey-multi-pane-windows-now-on-59-p...
- MagnumOpus 6y ago> Bricks and stone provide abysmal thermal insulation Even 80-90 years ago, brick housing in wester Europe was made with walls of two layers with an air/insulation cavity inbetween. Current practices usually don't use clay bricks but aerated concrete [1] which has great thermal insulation, plus insulation layers on top. > what does "much more solid" windows mean exactly Triple-glazed windows with well-insulated frames, rather than single-pane push-up windows that leak heat like a sieve. Massive difference in thermal and acoustic insulation. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoclaved_aerated_concrete https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoclaved_aerated_concrete