5d ago

anons brother has some strong opinions

164 comments

Must not know about asphalt yet...
- I'm sorry, is this asphalt over baked paving stones? And if so, why?
  Or is this a pothole filled up with stone? And if so, why?
  
  It is indeed paved over. I'm sure there are reasons, but probably not good ones given potholes like this. Aside from initial cost, for large vehicles+higher speeds. IMO seems a bit like gluing carpet over wooden floorboards (which is another anger-inducing thing, especially if you've lived in a house with a carpeted bathroom).
  Not Just Bikes has a video on brick roads in the Netherlands (the bricks being called Klinkers, video called Natural Handcrafted Artisanal ... Streets?!), how they allow easier maintenance/re-use, brick designs instead of painting the surface after, worn klinkers used in historic areas etc.
  
  It's a lovely street made of brick pavers that has been paved over with asphalt because it provides a smoother ride for vehicles and pleasant aesthetics are for losers.
  
  I’m sorry, is this asphalt over baked paving stones? And if so, why?
  This is what happened in a lot of European cities, they just paved over the cobblestone. I've seen something similar in a especially deep pothole in my neighborhood. Felt like a glimpse into the past.
  
  It was the cheapest way to improve noisy cobble or other stone roads with fancy newer asphalt technology. Until it got patchy, then it gets expensive after all...

At least he is forming concrete opinions

Don't know why, but I totally get this. Like, 100%, I just have it as a general feeling of disgust that I can ignore.
Edit: specifically cement blocks like the one pictured. That exact shape and texture of cement is the worst for me.
- I understand the distaste for the aesthetics. But it's a pretty inarguably better material from a structural, cost, sound blocking, etc. standpoint.
  Don't get me wrong, I love red brick, and personally want a red brick house, but I also recognize the sheer practicality of concrete blocks and would probably pick that with a brick veneer if I actually had to pay for it to be built new.
  
  That's literally how many German private houses are built: Autoclaved aerated concrete with a brick cladding. Looks nice and provides a lot of thermal insulation.
  
  Oh no, far more visceral. Nothing about the aesthetics.
  The brick pictured makes my hands feel dry and papery. That's from when I was a kid, so I know what that's about. Buuuut....
  There was a period where cement was used on wire frames to do sculpture - makes me want to gag. Fully repulsive to me. A tree made from cement angers me. It's all trash to me, zero redeeming elements.
  A large cement column in a building under construction? I intentionally avoid it so as not to touch it. They smell bad, too. Once painted, I'm totally fine with them.
  Dry cement powder? I would rather touch fire.
  It's a sensory processing thing. Can't explain it more than that I guess.
- I hate bricks.
  I went to the London suburbs and still think it was the ugliest building style ever. Bricks everywhere, bricks on walls separating houses, brick train stations, brick city buildings, brick houses... Bricks bridge ?
  I just can't stand those brick based cities. I think it's just as bad or worse as going full on concrete.
  
  But, do you mean like red clay bricks?
  I mean specifically cement blocks like in the picture. I'm totally down with red clay bricks.

This post kinda feels like op is ridiculing autism with a probably made up story. Hyperfixation is a thing with autists but they don't only talk about one topic and they shut up from time to time too. Autists are more than their hyperfixations, they're humans.
- thought the point is that the kid is right and concrete does suck
  
  Nah concrete is dope. Fight me about it.
  
  Maybe, I really couldn't tell that. To me this was a story about someone's autistic brother who had multiple mental breakdowns with rampaging construction sites and injuring other classmates. ¯(ツ)_/¯
  I wouldn't expect many people to know about concretes dangerous environmental impact through released CO2 during production and it is not mentioned in the post either.
  
  I agree. Wood is clearly the superior material.
  
  Concrete is literally building slop
  It's great tho
- I had a learner on spectrum who physically attacked me for 2 hours because, after our classroom won the 'Golden Trashcan' Award for cleanest room, the Golden Trashcan was not real gold.
  The only quote I remember from this was him screaming at me while gesturing at the trashcan, "That's not a thing! That's not even an animal!"
  10/10, would teach again.
  
  I hope you're alright after that physical attack! Hope someone educated the kid on their autism and their actions too. I think I slightly understand the train of thought with the "it's not an animal" argument though. I'm guessing the kid assumed that the word gold was reserved for actual gold unless talking about animals like the golden hamster or goldfish where it just meant gold colored :P
  Edit: also sorry for sending this comment thrice, no idea how that happened
- You didnt have that one kid in any of your classes? A kid I went to school with had similarly deep feelings about evergreens over deciduous trees, and got in a fight with a Canadian kid after he started talking smack about maple syrup and maples in general. I dont think the Canadian wanted to fight, but he had on a Canadian flag shirt so the maple leaf was front and center, making him a target for the arborist. But it was literally trees all the time. Evergreens can photosynthesize year round so they are always giving us oxygen. Evergreen lumber is better for construction. Evergreen seeds are adapted to sprout after fires when there is more likely to be room for them to grow. Nonstop. Middle school is a weird time for a lot of folks and people on the spectrum are not exceptions.
- Feels like the wrong community here for this screenshot

honestly I love bricks and hate concrete blocks.
btw what's the most (not necessarily among these two) sustainable building material, lemmings?
- Stone. It's natural, subject only to the slow erosion of time.
  
  Caves. We should all live in caves.
  
  I’d bet wood is better since if you use it for construction and farm it you can theoretically use it as a carbon sink, and it’s renewable.
  What’s the delta on mining and shaping stone vs lumber is the question
  
  While I'm a big fan of stone, I do have complicated feelings on the mining industry, so I'm not sure about how sustainable it is.
- Honestly, whatever makes the most sense with the materials in the local area. And then I don't mean what you can get from the local hardware store, but literally, what the earth in the area provides. If you have lots of clay, then brick would be best. If you have lots of big stones, then stone construction it'll be. If you're deep in the woods, then a wooden building would serve you just right. Maybe a combination of materials and techniques if you have options in the area.
  Bonus points if you can build in a way that passively optimises for managing things like moisture and temperature.
  
  Thisss! You don't need to invent some crazy futuristic material when humans have been building sustainably for millenia. All you have to do is look into: 1. what material is avaible in the area? and 2. what enviromental factors do you need to take into account? If you're building in a hot area, the house needs to be able to stay cool. If you're building in a cold area, the house needs to be able to stay warm.
- Cob and rammed earth are hard to beat if you’ve got the right environment for them
- Adobe is the best of you live in the right environment for it
  
  what?
- Hemp

Based
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_concrete
- Did you read that link before posting?
  In comparison with other construction materials (aluminium, steel, even brick), concrete is one of the least energy-intensive building materials.[2]
  
  Except it isn't just about the energy intensity, but specifically the CO2 emission from the concrete process itself.
  From the link's sources:
  https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/publications/2018-06-13-making-concrete-change-cement-lehne-preston-final.pdf

I have a similar thing with flat roofs. They are terrible. When you are 5 years old, you already learn to draw houses with a pointy roof. The pointy roof has been invented about a 100 times in history, as people were looking for the best shape. The wave shaped roof tile with 2 waves per tile has been invented about 3 times in history as people were looking for the best shape. The advantages of a pointy roof over a flat roof:
Rain flows off. Yes, you can give a flat roof a small inclination, but rain will not flow as well, and if your roof tilts a small bit during the decades, it can become horizontal again.
Snow falls off, reducing the chance that the roof collapses under the weight of heavy snow.
It is lighter and cheaper, as you can use thinner materials. This is because pointy is a stronger shape than flat.
It gives more interior space.
It allows more sunlight to reach the street.
It has a smaller area-to-vloume-ratio through with heat can escape.
Solar panels get a higher efficiency.
It allows the roof to be made out of wavy roof tiles which provide the following advantages:
Roofs designed with wavy roof tiles can be constructed when it rains.
When a tile breaks, you can easily replace it, without having to cut it loose from the tiles next to it.
Roof tiles do not fracture upon an uneven heat distribution. Meanwhile, the advantages of flat roofs are:
If you design an apartment building, you can copy and paste the interior. (Thus less work for the architect.)
A horizontal line is one segment less to draw compared to two diagonals. (Thus less work for the architect.)
If a city has the same height restrictions for flat roofed buildings as for pointy roofed buildings, and the architect is too lazy to go to the city council to explain to them that that doesn't make sense, the architect can design a building with more volume by making the roof flat. In other words: the only reason any architect would design a building with a flat roof is because they are either lazy or they have no idea what they are doing.
- It is lighter and cheaper, as you can use thinner materials. This is because pointy is a stronger shape than flat.
  It gives more interior space.
  If you're using lighter cheaper materials you'll need all the added interior space for roof trusses, none of it will be livable space.
  It allows more sunlight to reach the street.
  No, for the same amount of occupiable space the shorter flat roof blocks less light than a standard 10:12 or 12:12 roof
  It has a smaller area-to-volume-ratio through which heat can escape.
  The greater surface area of a pitched roof means this is absolutely not true. The hypotenuse is always longer than either leg.
  Solar panels get a higher efficiency.
  This one actually depends on latitude, equatorialy it's better flat. And don't forget that the minimum summer angle is limited by the pitched roof.
  If a city has the same height restrictions for flat roofed buildings as for pointy roofed buildings, and the architect is too lazy to go to the city council to explain to them that that doesn't make sense, the architect can design a building with more volume by making the roof flat.
  No it makes perfect sense. It goes back to your comment on letting sunlight through to the street. The maximum height is the maximum height so everyone gets the same amount of light.
  In other words: ~~the only reason any architect would design a building with a flat roof is because they are either lazy or they have no idea what they are doing.~~ this guy thinks their habitat is the only kind over the whole planet and can't imagine people living in areas where snow load wouldn't need to be considered.
  
  More non livable space would've been nice in my attic recently. I was trying to diagnose a potential leak, but the chimney is in the corner of the house, so not only do I have to walk across the rafters, but I have to squat down in the corner to even begin to be able to peak at the chimney pipe. But that's a very niche scenario. I just sort of dislike the idea of void in houses, I think it should all be accessible to an extent.
  
  snow load
  Now I am kinda curious about how heavy snow can get.
  I live in a snow-less flat-roofed region and the load capacity seems to be ~1.5 kN/m² ^[https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/simply-supported-slabs-load-capacity-d_1803.html]. So, even the cheapest compliant (maybe I should be checking govt. docs for compliance values) building not designed for snowfall should be able to manage 15cm of rain/snow.
  Well, that is much lower than the 1m of snow that I would expect building up in case it really snows and it could get higher considering the parapet walls tend to ~1m high.
- The A-frame is peak house design in cold environments and I refuse to hear otherwise.
  
  there's a reason we have the stereotypical red house with white detailing here in sweden, that shit just fucking works
- Have you ever tried to explain anything to the city council? They're extra neurotypical popular people and will not be honest with you. You'll say "I want nicer roofs because reasons" and they will completely make up reasons for not liking the better roofs. Maybe they're being bribed by a subset of landlords, or they're just racist, or they're holding out for something unspoken in exchange that you should know about already.
  People in political office are not refusing to change because they haven't heard enough good arguments. People who don't get the change they want are not just lazy.
- Flat roofs are good for putting large unsightly equipment on, particularly AC units
  
  They can also be a usable outdoor space just to hang out on.
- Roof decks are awesome though...
- Most modern flat roofs (at least in my neck of the woods) aren't actually flat. They're at an incredibly shallow pitch. In residential applications (after underlayment) we use high density foam slats that get put together in a grid formation, each piece gets slightly narrower on one end until they can properly fit under a piece of bird stop around the fascia. Before the bird stop goes on, the foam is sealed with a waterproof self adhering material that comes in huge rolls. When properly installed, they can last 15-30 years. Just as long, if not longer, than any shingle roof. There's also high density polyurethane foam flat roofs that can be sealed and are able to last up to 50 years. Many commercial operations use these methods as well as hot tar mopping, which can basically last forever. The one drawback to flat roofs is load bearing difficulties in places that snow. I don't know much about that but seeing as flat roofs are everywhere in the north too, it must not be too difficult to work around.
  Don't get me wrong, I love a good tile roof too, but there's plenty of beautiful structures with flat roofs out there. And tile has considerable draw backs as well. Tile is incredibly heavy, they're very fragile, they're ludicrously expensive, and they're expensive to maintain.
  On the rain, no roofer is working in the rain, and tile roofs are vulnerable to rain during construction too. When it's down to the plywood, you're as likely to have rain troubles as any other roof. You can lay shingles and foam for flat roofs when you're dried in too, but no one will if it's more than a drizzle. Tile becomes an active danger in the rain because most tiles get really slippery in the rain
  Replacing broken tiles is a removed and a half, you have to carefully dance between tile joints and one slip of your foot (which is likely during repairs because tiles are slick and can become moldy/slimy when not maintained properly) you're likely to break another tile, leading to more work and more chances of another broken tile. Even the process of removing a broken tile can break the tiles surrounding it
  Tile in general is really finicky, high maintenance, and requires unique tools, methods, and skilled laborers that are capable of doing the work. That is by no means a bad thing but it's really easy to get a flat roof that does the job perfectly fine. Tile, not so much
- I like flat roofs because I want to be able to use a roof for a deck. Though, full disclosure, I don't know how bad the leaking is and I don't live in an area with snow.

Concrete is a major driver of CO2 emissions. Fuck concrete.
- It's a major driver because of how much it is used. It's the building material, nothing else even really comes close. If we used bricks to the same degree, that would be the major driver.
  There's often no good alternative to concrete. There's lots of newer less CO2 intensive cements and cement replacements out there though. Often comes at a cost on something else though.
  
  Bricks would be much more efficient co2 wise, they don't have the curing process that pollutes
- bricks made by burning clay aren't that much better. Especially considering that you need more bricks for columns and other load bearing structures.
  
  And the alternative would be building with wood which I believe would be even worse

Bullshit concrete is inferior to brick. The Romans used concrete. 😤
- *Self repairing concrete, agree. Tho the cheap stuff we use today is ass
  
  We should work on making self-healing and self-replicating concrete to become superior. 😌
- The irony is brick was thought of as cheap when buildings moved to it, from traditional stone blocks. The term "oh, that's so Redbrick", was a slam against something that had become cheap or slummy
- modern concrete fuckin blows massive asses

Okay I am a big fan of brutalist architecture. Guess I am in the minority... I feel the philosophy behind it is just being wildly misunderstood.
- I love brutalist architecture.
- Can you share a little about the philosophy behind brutalism?
  
  I think people often describe brutalism as cold, souless, dehumanizing, etc. But the principle behind is actually very humanitarian. They forgo grandiose decorations, embellishments, and instead choose to rather gain their form from function, and to maximize their functions so they can serve their inhabitants better. Many, many brutalist buildings were built as affordable, social housing during the post war era, when wealth inequality was perhaps the lowest in Europe.
  And additionally, to me, because of how laid bare they are, they become an embodiment of transparency, and honesty that I wish our society can have more of.
  (Don't listen to me, there are many good articles/videos explaining brutalism way better than I could. Maybe this video on Habitat 67?)
  
  It’s just so BRUTAL. What more to saaay

Modern and brutalist architecture can have that effect on people. Fuck concrete, and fuck neo-imperialist colonial architecture.
Concrete is horrible for the environment and its fucked up global emissions of buildings and architecture. (Cement production alone constitutes 8% of global emissions, not considering its inefficiency in thermal lifecycles of a building and ultimate un-renewable waste). It is in fact not the best fit for every circumstance.
One shoe fits all architecture trends have effectively killed vernacular wisdom and climate conscious local innovation. Favoring “cheap” garbage that jacks up costs in other sectors, damages climate and ignores localized need, requiring complex, often power-hungry, solutions like extensive BAS to try and counterbalance their piss poor application.
(For those unaware modern buildings when all is said and done account for over 40% of global emissions. And the heating/cooling systems far outpace keeping the lights on in terms of energy consumption (something like 2/3 of the total buildings demands over time). Tackling that behemoth number is going to take a multifaceted approach but the importance of materials and place-specific design cannot be understated.)
sincerely, someone whose installed one too many motors for automated blinds and slapdash bandaid HVAC solutions.
- 95% sure you're the brother
  
  I would happily smash concrete blocks in the early am- don’t threaten me with a good time!
- Doesn't concrete also absorb CO2?
  Or was that cement
  
  Shah also said that “cement carbonation requires very specific conditions” including humidity of between 40 and 80 per cent and open-air conditions.
  “Submerged or buried concrete or concrete will not undergo carbonation,” he said, adding that “concrete carbonation happens at an extremely slow rate: an average of one to two millimetres per year.”
  Shah added that he was “a bit frustrated with the IPCC using the word ‘sink’ because that gives the impression that it is beneficial.”
  “Cement and concrete are not carbon sinks,” Shah said. “They are net sources [of CO2].”
  Article: Cement and Concrete “are not carbon sinks” says Cambridge material scientist
  Also: “Carbonation in concrete refers to the chemical reaction between carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and calcium hydroxide in the concrete. This reaction forms calcium carbonate and gradually reduces the pH of the concrete, which can lead to the corrosion of embedded steel reinforcement.”
  So, not exactly a process you want to occur in your buildings or bridges. So if you’re hoping waiting around until it turns into limestone (if it’s not buried, submerged or sealed) it will probably mostly be demolished and long buried in a landfill somewhere potentially leaking toxins where it will never undergo the natural processes to absorb carbon anyway.
  Beautiful in theory but impractical in mass scale execution. But certainly a good way to justify the continuation of a multibillion dollar industry. (This is not to say that there aren’t serious material scientists working on this problem, but a lot of it unfortunately is straight up greenwashing rather than advocating for reduction in initial footprint and investment in long-term sustainable alternatives.)
  
  Cement is an ingredient in concrete

Autist here, while brick houses are nice, I actually own a 100+yo one, they're also not the most ideal material for anything bigger that a midrise.
Wanted to have better insulation for shits and giggles? We have a tool for that: putting proper insulation on the concrete.
- Some people have some real bad ideas about insulation. No, the air gap in your brick building isn't good. Air gaps are cheap and easy, not good. They do belong in certain strategic locations, but they can't compete with the R-value of filling the space with blown fiberglass. Not even close.
  Windows, too. The best, most energy efficient window on the market is at least 3 times worse than a few inches of blown fiberglass. Industry marketing has confused customers on that one.
  
  Yeah, the intuition of wanting air in the cavity is a correct one. it's just that what we actually want is a vacuum. This creates a thermal gap a d is why cups with vaccum keep shit warm/cold awesomely. We cant, realisticly achieve this so instead we shove shit into the walls to protect or little air gap from being tampered with. Fiber glass works OK, but foams work better.

I really wonder how he would feel about Roman concrete.

They better have concrete evidence of these claims tho

I love autism

Better keep this kid far away from any bulldozers.

People when autistic boys have mental shutdowns: haha it's so quirky when he hyperfixates.
People when autistic girls have mental shutdowns: what a removed and emotional teenager. She's not even autistic she just does it for attention.
- Really? Because I just got whipped with a switch or a belt when I had my little boy autistic meltdowns.
  
  Yeah, while there is definitely often sexism involved in how autistic girls and women vs autistic boys and men are treated, it's not like any flavor of autism or anyone's autistic meltdown is treated well...
  
  Well yes. Thats how we do eqiality i guess. Like the way we're closing the eating disorder gap!
- "Mmmmm, yes, let's turn a funny post about autistic hyperfixations into gender warfare. This will be a good use of everyone's time."
  
  Dude this is about tye gendered double standard in mental illness.
  It is a thing, and for autistic women it hurts that we don't have funny stories about our trauma like this and it sucks.
  The reaction to autistic men (here) is perfectly reasonable. We want that. Fuck off with your misogynist bullshit.
- Autistic boys sometimes get called quaint. Other times people call the police and they get shot.
  
  Same for autistic girls! On the second part i mean.
- The trick is to be violent enough that they cant infantilize you!

I may not know much about nuclear reactors, but I know a lot about concrete

John Betjeman has been reincarnated as an Autistic German guy.

German flag
I would've been surprised if it had been different, lol.

Cast concrete is best.

The only good brick is a Lego brick.

Aww that sounds sad 😔

okay, i would like to talk to oops brother. I say bricks are cool for houses but for buildings and bridges and etc, you need concrete
- Pretty sure they'd bite your ear off for saying such a thing
- I'm guessing they don't love tall modern buildings either
  
  I wonder what they think about affordable concrete housing
  
  Well at some point you have to stop and ask yourself, are bricks really the answer to modern civil engineering problems?

Sounds like he wanted to do a 1 man blitz, in order to reverse the outcomes of the actual 'blitz', but thankfully he turned out to be more of a V1 doodlebug.

This is the way

OP should send his brother to Stevenage with a hammer, he'd have the place leveled to the ground before the town council could say thank you.

OPs brother is an undiagnosed autist.
- You've got the spirit, but its right there in like the 2nd word
  
  Dang I'm blind xD

164 comments