Waterproofing systems in buildings protect from external agents, insulate, contribute to energy saving and even support installation of photovoltaic panels, thus providing a high level of comfort with a relatively small environmental footprint in residential, institutional buildings and warehouses.

A team of researchers at the De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester, UK, have created a brick entirely from domestic plastic waste that they claim has been proven to provide 10 times better insulation than traditional bricks made from clay.