Abstract: Bricks are disclosed which are of standard height (A) and length (B) but of increased width (C). By the provision of at least one thumbhole, preferably two, located in the brick substantially centrally with respect to its length and located with respect to the width of the brick such that the distance (D) between the outer face of the brick and the inner face of the thumbhole furthest from that outer face corresponds substantially to the width of a standard brick, the brick can be handled with ease even though it is heavier than the standard. Using it, full storey height single leaf walls may be economically produced without compromising their structural stability compared to a standard cavity wall built with standard bricks.

Abstract: Improved building planks and boards consist of a metal tray (a) filled with a filling material (b). The sides of the tray may be grooved (c) enabling adjacent planks or boards to be assembled coplanar with pipes located in the oppositely facing grooves. The pipes serve to maintain the alignment of the planks or boards relative to one another and by circulating liquid through them enable an array of such planks and boards to be used in thermal transfer applications involving extracting heat from the environment or introducing heat to the array, for example for de-icing.

Abstract: A system of elements capable of transferring thermal energy from outside to inside a building or vice versa, has abutting waterproof trays (a) enclosing tubes (d) at their junction. Correspondingly long slotted profiles (b) enclosing the joints and held captive by them may be rotated to allow the insertion of rigid elements (c) sequentially so that adjacent pairs of profiles (b) are restrained from further rotational movement and provide a planar surface. Rigid elements (c) of sufficient density may provide a flat roof which is self-ballasting against wind uplift without penetrative fixings to the sub-surface.