Tradition Meets Circularity in a New Brick Series Containing Over 30% Recycled Material

14.11.2025

Tradition Meets Circularity in a New Brick Series Containing Over 30% Recycled Material

In collaboration with brick manufacturer egernsund Wienerberger, C.F. Møller Architects has developed a concrete response to the construction industry’s growing need for circular solutions.
The result is MIX – a new brick series in which more than 30% of the content consists of crushed masonry from demolished buildings and construction sites. Materials that would otherwise end up as road fill or landfill are now being upcycled into new bricks with long lifespans and high aesthetic quality.

How can we better ensure the reprocessing of secondary materials into new, long-lasting products? This was the central question in a development partnership where brick manufacturer egernsund wienerberger and C.F. Møller Architects joined forces to develop a new brick series. The series has just been launched under the name MIX, with bricks produced using more than 30% recycled material.

– “With MIX we have replaced virgin sand with crushed masonry from demolished buildings and construction sites. These are waste residues from old bricks that cannot be reused directly in new construction. This means that the secondary material in MIX has already had a lifespan before entering our factory. In concrete terms, this results in the upcycling of old bricks instead of ending their lifecycle as road fill or landfill,” explains Kristian Knorr Svane, Head of Sustainability at egernsund wienerberger, adding:

– “MIX is our most tangible contribution to the circular economy. We are pushing production towards the maximum use of secondary materials and challenging the limits of what can be reprocessed and reused. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for our customers to choose bricks that focus on circular resource use and reduce the consumption of virgin materials, while still maintaining the aesthetic and long-lasting qualities of brick.”

The recycled material has a carbon footprint that is 77% lower than virgin sand in extraction and transport. According to the company’s EPD, the MIX series has a CO₂ footprint that is 13–20% lower than egernsund wienerberger’s standard brick range using the same clay blends.

Tradition and Aesthetics Meet Circularity
The MIX series was developed in collaboration with C.F. Møller Architects, and for the architects, the new bricks are closely linked to the practice’s history, which originates from its very first project – the now iconic Aarhus University:
– “The yellow brick has been part of our DNA since 1924. It can capture and reflect sunlight in a very special way and create warmth in urban spaces even on a cloudy day. It is also incredibly versatile. Therefore, it was natural for us to build further on the yellow colour,” says Rune Bjerno Nielsen, Partner and Architect MAA at C.F. Møller Architects.

For the practice, it has been particularly important to unite the classic yellow brick with the construction industry’s challenges of reuse and resource scarcity:

– “It is important for us to work with recycled material because we must address our resource scarcity. It has been extremely interesting to help further develop a well-known material and contribute to bricks that save resources without compromising on aesthetics or durability,” says Iben Holm, Architect MAA and DGNB Consultant at C.F. Møller Architects.

The collaboration shows how innovation, tradition and architectural heritage can merge in a classic building material and go hand in hand in the development of tomorrow’s circular construction.
The architects have named the first three bricks in the series Møn, Råbjerg and Fur, as the bricks are inspired by unique Danish landscapes and their natural materiality. Chalk, clay, sand and limestone from these locations have formed the basis for selecting the colours and surfaces of the bricks.

– “We wanted the bricks to evoke associations with both a place, an atmosphere and a materiality. The light, golden and greyish tones reflect the warm glow and tactility we have worked with,” explains Iben Holm.

MIX Helps Safeguard a Classic Danish Material
Brick and clay tiles are not only part of C.F. Møller Architects’ DNA but also a cornerstone of Danish architectural heritage. Across the country, historic and beautiful brick buildings stand as proof of their ability to withstand weather and architectural trends. According to the brick manufacturer, it is essential that we dare to rethink and develop the material to ensure that future generations can also benefit from its many qualities.

– “The secondary materials are incorporated into a product with a lifespan of over 100 years, keeping them in circulation for a long time. We need to use more secondary materials and ensure the reprocessing of materials. Future construction calls for innovation. For us, it is about continuously exploring what can be reused and incorporated into new products. That’s why we are also testing other types of construction waste as recycled material,” says Kristian Knorr Svane.

With MIX, the architects and egernsund wienerberger have created a brick that celebrates architectural heritage while uniting aesthetics, durability and circular thinking:
– “We want to safeguard a classic Danish material that allows us to continue designing buildings that can stand for hundreds of years. Our ambition has therefore been to create a more resource-optimised brick for future construction. We have succeeded in that, and we are extremely pleased with the result,” says Rune Bjerno Nielsen.

Facts about MIX
Recycled material
MIX is a new brick series that replaces sand and virgin raw materials with more than 30% secondary mineral material. The recycled content in MIX consists of crushed masonry from demolished buildings and construction sites. This is residual waste that cannot be reused directly in new construction. The recycled material has a CO₂ footprint 77% lower than virgin sand in extraction and transport.

The recycled material replaces sand, which is a scarce resource. Whereas sand normally accounts for around 15%, egernsund wienerberger has doubled the proportion by using over 30% secondary material. This also reduces the amount of virgin clay that needs to be extracted.

MIX is an evolution of LESS
MIX is a further development of the dematerialised LESS brick, which contains 15% less raw material and has a correspondingly lower CO₂ footprint. When MIX bricks are produced as dematerialised LESS bricks, the consumption of virgin materials is reduced by more than 40% compared with a traditional solid brick. According to egernsund wienerberger’s EPDs, this results in a CO₂ footprint 13–20% lower than the company’s standard brick range using the same clay blends. The MIX series therefore has a GWP (Global Warming Potential) of 7.1 kg CO₂e/m² during production (A1–A3).

Points in DGNB
MIX can also contribute to compliance with the EU taxonomy, and in the DGNB 2025 manual for renovation and new construction, points are awarded for reduced use of primary raw materials.

About egernsund wienerberger
egernsund wienerberger is the largest brick manufacturer in the Nordic region and part of the wienerberger Group. The company provides materials for future buildings and urban spaces, and its product portfolio includes bricks, shaped bricks, brick lintels and beams, brick slips, clay blocks and pavers.
egernsund wienerberger has more than 300 employees, four factories in Denmark and nine showrooms across the Nordics.

About C.F. Møller Architects
C.F. Møller Architects is one of Scandinavia’s leading architectural practices, with over 100 years of experience and a portfolio of award-winning projects in the Nordics and internationally. The studio works with architecture rooted in Nordic values, innovation and a holistic approach.
The company has around 300 employees and is headquartered in Aarhus, with additional offices in Copenhagen, Aalborg, Oslo, Stockholm, Malmö and Berlin.

egernsund wienerberger

Tradition Meets Circularity in a New Brick Series Containing Over 30% Recycled Material

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