VAST Blog

Press Release

Fabcon and VAST Enterprises Launch New Composite Thin Brick Wall Panel

New building panel contains up to 85 percent recycled content

SAVAGE, Minn. – July 16, 2009 – Fabcon, one of America’s leading manufacturers of fabricated concrete wall panels, has partnered with VAST Enterprises, LLC, a material science research and green building material manufacturer, to launch the first wall panels using composite bricks featuring up to 95 percent post-consumer/post-industrial recycled material. The finished wall panels have a recycled content of up to 85 percent.

“In the United States alone, 300 million scrap tires and 5.6 billion pounds of plastic are added to landfills each year,” said Mike Le Jeune, president and CEO of Fabcon. “Over the next five years, Fabcon and VAST will work together on the composite thin brick to divert approximately 350 million pounds of recyclable materials from landfills. Our customers will be getting the highest quality structural precast panels, while at the same time improving their ability to qualify for LEED points and helping reduce the burden on landfills.”

For every 50,000-square-foot structure built with the panels, approximately 7,500 tires and 220,000 plastic containers will be diverted from landfills. Equally important, producing the composite bricks used in the Fabcon panels consumes far less energy than manufacturing conventional clay bricks, which requires mining raw materials with heavy equipment and firing the bricks in massive kilns. It has been estimated that by using VAST’s composite bricks instead of traditional bricks, each building will save enough natural gas to heat an average home for 20 years.

Brick is a popular building material for commercial buildings, schools, office space and public works. To reduce the environmental impact and still get a masonry appearance, many producers and building owners now turn to thin brick.

“Thin brick is made of the same raw materials as full brick, but requires 80 percent less raw material and natural gas,” said Le Jeune. “Our new wall panel with composite thin bricks will help us build on our current thin brick base. The high levels of recycled materials help further reduce the environmental impact of our products and that is really appealing to our customers seeking LEED certification.”

“The demand for thin brick is strong and growing because of its cost advantage, lighter weight and slender profile,” added Andy Vander Woude, chief executive officer, VAST Enterprises. “These factors make it a good alternative, especially where full-face brick cannot be used.”

Download press release here.