Sun-Drying in Traditional Brickmaking: Strategies for Achieving Efficiency

This study investigated the utilization of currently available energy and its implication on the ecological production of architecture materials. The study focused on the sun-drying process used by craftsmen in the traditional brickmaking process, arguing that such a practice demonstrates ways of utilizing current energy that are informed by local knowledge and are ecological. Such a brick drying process was observed at two sites of traditional brickmaking in Central Java, Indonesia. The result of the study indicated that the drying process in brickmaking utilized various exposure strategies to maximize the potential amount of heat from the sun that can be transferred to the bricks, which in turn influenced the flow of the production process. The study then discussed the potential applications of such knowledge in the modern brick manufacturing process to create a more ecological production of architecture materials.

Architecture material; Ecology; Local knowledge; Sun-drying; Traditional brickmaking

The population increase has contributed to a high demand for bricks in our society (Holley, 2009), triggering the industrialization of brickmaking. The production of bricks on a large scale, however, is notorious for its environmental impact (Darain et al., 2015) as it contributes to air pollution (Tahir and Rafique, 2009; Darain et al., 2015) and excessive land cultivation, resulting in a threat to the ecosystem (Singh and Asgher, 2005). The forces behind the industrialization of brickmaking have mostly ignored the threat and tend to solely emphasize the efficiency of brickmaking to meet the demand without fully considering its environmental impacts (Holley, 2009). The practice is in contrast with the spirit of positive development that not only facilitates economic activity, but also the idea of sustainability, which considers environmental impacts (Berawi, 2016; Baper et al., 2020). This is unfortunate especially considering that industrialization that utilizes recent technology could be a means of mitigating unwanted environmental impacts through its expected capability for sustainability (Yusuf et al., 2018).

Notably, the traditional brickmaking practice performed by local craftsmen on a relatively small scale is a process that is connected to the wider ecology (Atmodiwirjo et al., 2018). Traditional brickmaking is a process based on local knowledge that is focused on the environmental  cycle  of  natural  resources  and  using  the  renewable  energy available in nature (McDonough, 1996). However, such a use of natural resources is not necessarily straightforward. Various strategies are required to attain the maximum usage of the energy that is currently available. This, in turn, influences the overall flow of production. Therefore, understanding such strategies is key to promoting energy usage that is more ecologically friendly. With this in mind, this paper attempts to explore the utilization of current energy in traditional brick production, particularly sun exposure and wind currents. This paper will begin by outlining the significance of the current energy discussion in architecture material production, focusing on the drying phase of traditional brickmaking as a model of current energy use. Then, the traditional brickmaking process that were observed will be examined, and connections will be drawn between the energy uses in brickmaking and their relation to other elements and stages in the overall production process. This exploration will be followed by the discussion of the findings of the study and the potential implication of the results on the production of architecture materials.

The sun-drying phase in traditional brickmaking, as observed at the two locations of the study, Ambarawa and Welahan, demonstrated the use of current energy as part of the ecological aspect of architecture material production. Such a use of current energy drove the stages and responses that shaped the process of sun-drying, from maximum exposure to less exposure to the heat from the sun in order to achieve a certain level of dryness. In achieving this dryness, what mattered was not only the environmental conditions but also the craftsmen’s strategies of alternating between or maximizing different forms of current energy. These strategies influenced the way the bricks were laid down, arranged, positioned, stacked, and covered and were constrained by the consistency of the clay mixture, the field space availability, and the low-tech equipment that limited the potential interventions that could be performed during the process. Interestingly, the craftsmen’s strategies and responses informed a production of architecture material intertwined with everyday life. They depicted spatial operations that were conducted in a quotidian environment instead of in a controlled and strict one (Atmodiwirjo and Yatmo, 2019). Other than the display of such strategies, the use of current energy also drove the fluctuating flow of the different production stages, influencing the beginning and the end of each phase beyond the drying phase.

This paper points out that the use of current energy, the craftsmen’s strategies, and the fluctuating flow of brick production, which often consists of phases done simultaneously, provides potential knowledge for the future industrialization of brickmaking. An important lesson, for example, can be derived from the way efficiency is achieved through developing local strategies instead of relying on the innovation of the machines. In addition, while the fluctuating flow of brick production may not seem beneficial, it provides enough time to prepare for the firing process, which requires a high amount of an immediate form of energy and accumulation of material. In this sense, investigating the current energy use expands the understanding of efficient, ecological methods that focus on the interconnection between humans, materials, and the environment. This study, however, only focused on the qualitative aspects of the sun-drying phase. Future studies which focus more on the quantitative aspects of the process may develop a better understanding of such efficiency by exploring in detail, the temporality of the production process, measuring the time taken by craftsmen to mold, stack, arrange, and relocate each brick in order to inform the flow of overall brick production. In future studies, an airflow simulation might also be conducted to investigate the optimal gap needed between the bricks to dry them thoroughly. 

    This research is supported by Penelitian Dasar Ristekdikti 2020, a research grant (contract number: NKB-69/UN2.RST/HKP.05.00/2020) provided by The Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of the Republic of Indonesia.

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