Author
P R BINGEL, A R BOWN and J STURGES
School of the Built Environment, Leeds Metropolitan University

Abstract
The generic process for assessing the environmental impacts of construction materials such as clay brickwork masonry is outlined. The meaning of much of the technical terminology associated with this process is explained. The increasing importance of environmental performance of materials in decisions about which forms of construction are to be used is highlighted. In the case of long life, low maintenance materials, such as clay brickwork masonry, the need to evaluate environmental performance over appropriate whole life spans is briefly discussed.