B&Q offers the K-Briq: circular masonry implications for project teams
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
K-Briq, a masonry unit made from nearly 100% recycled construction and demolition waste, is now sold direct to consumers via B&Q’s diy.com online marketplace. Developed by Heriot-Watt University spin-out Kenoteq, the brick has already been specified by architects for commercial projects and award-winning festival installations, and is now being adopted for domestic renovations and garden walls. Wider retail availability signals growing client pressure for low‑carbon, circular materials in small‑scale builds as well as large commercial schemes.
Technical Brief
- K-Briq units are manufactured from nearly 100% recycled construction and demolition waste feedstock.
- Demand has been driven by architects and designers who previously specified K-Briq on commercial schemes.
- The same design professionals are now re-specifying the product for their own domestic refurbishments and gardens.
- Executive director Sam Chapman reports a “remarkable shift” in recent months in consumer-facing interest.
Our Take
Among the 12 Materials stories in our coverage, very few involve UK retail chains like B&Q directly stocking circular-economy products, which suggests mainstream distribution for recycled masonry is still at an early stage.
A brick made from nearly 100% recycled construction and demolition waste positions Kenoteq within the small subset of sustainability-tagged pieces that tackle end-of-pipe reuse, rather than just lowering embodied carbon in virgin materials.
Having a university spin-out from Heriot-Watt University reach national retail shelves in the United Kingdom may signal to other academic materials labs that there is a viable commercial route for high-recycled-content products, not just for niche demonstration projects.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
