Hello Sir, For an apartment building, mold shall not be much of an issue. If it is done properly and the gaps are closed then even insects/cockroaches are not a problem in the brick walls. In fact they become more beautiful after some weathering and exposure. The man-made alternatives to actual brick finish are, brick tiles, brick wall papers, brick design laminates and MDF sheet. They are a close replica but personally we prefer actual bricks for the exteriors. Thanks, Nitin Cornerstone Designs Bangalore

Hi Abhi, All 4 have their own pros and cons. AAC, CLC and fly ash bricks are low in weight compared to clay bricks. Clay bricks are locally available. AAC and CLC block also ensure thermal insulation. Fly ash bricks are not suitable for cold weather. Depending on the location of the plot, easy availability of material you can choose among above four. Although I say, you can go with AAC blocks. -Thanks, -Neelam -Lines and Profile

Thanks for clarifying Mentes. Before answering let me clarify that building materials should better be selected based on local advice, availability, cost, structural requirements. Your architect would be giving you an informed opinion based on that. Cement Bricks have more strength and are cheaper than the red bricks. They also help to complete the work faster because of bigger and uniform sizes. So, I would prefer to disagree with the reasoning given. Secondly, you are in Kerala and fyki, red bricks takes away precious farming soil layer away. We already had a bad flood. In the best interests of nature you may want to avoid doing more harm. To be fair to red bricks, they look amazingly beautiful and are good for load bearing walls, last long and are better for thermal insulation. Thanks, Nitin Cornerstone Designs Studio, Bangalore.

Hi Saibal; Your writing is appreciable. Good. I wish your home is equally good.