{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.brick","code":"thing-q40089","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q40089/","name":"brick","alternateNames":["brick stamp","calcium silicate brick","Helsingborg brick","Roman brick","Lilliput","perforated block","glazed brick","hollow brick","bee brick","decorative brick","fired brick","scoria brick"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.OBJ"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A single unit of ceramic material, typically fired clay and rectangular in shape, used in masonry construction, commonly laid in mortar to form walls, arches and pavements, with standard sizes that vary by country and period, from thin Roman bricks to modern perforated units; bricks have been made for thousands of years, are stamped by makers in some traditions, and remain widely used building materials.","purpose":"Let an agent explain bricks as a building material, identify kinds by material, manufacture and period, relay standards, properties and history, and distinguish bricks from blocks, tiles and stone.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Standard unit sizes","Fired or chemically bonded","Bonding patterns","Ancient technology"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"identify","name":"Identify","description":"What brick this is.","layers":[{"id":"kind","name":"Kind","description":"Kind and material.","findings":[{"id":"kind-finding","name":"Kind","description":"Kind.","questions":[{"text":"What kind of brick is it, and what is it made of?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the unit a brick, a block, a tile or stone?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"sizes","name":"Sizes","description":"Sizes and standards.","findings":[{"id":"sizes-finding","name":"Sizes","description":"Sizes.","questions":[{"text":"What standard sizes and grades exist by country?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific type?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"make","name":"Make","description":"Manufacture and properties.","layers":[{"id":"manufacture","name":"Manufacture","description":"Manufacture.","findings":[{"id":"manufacture-finding","name":"Manufacture","description":"Manufacture.","questions":[{"text":"How are bricks made, from clay preparation to firing or autoclaving?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits brickmaking?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"properties","name":"Properties","description":"Properties.","findings":[{"id":"properties-finding","name":"Properties","description":"Properties.","questions":[{"text":"What strength, durability and thermal properties do bricks have, and how are they tested?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"use","name":"Use","description":"Brickwork.","layers":[{"id":"bonds","name":"Bonds","description":"Bonds and construction.","findings":[{"id":"bonds-finding","name":"Bonds","description":"Bonds.","questions":[{"text":"How are bricks laid in bonds, and how do walls and arches work?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits brickwork?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"problems","name":"Problems","description":"Defects and repair.","findings":[{"id":"problems-finding","name":"Problems","description":"Problems.","questions":[{"text":"What defects affect brickwork, and how is it repaired?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the question about a specific building, which needs a professional?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"History and archaeology.","layers":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did bricks develop from mud bricks of Mesopotamia through Roman bricks to industrial production?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the history of construction?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"stamps","name":"Stamps","description":"Brick stamps and archaeology.","findings":[{"id":"stamps-finding","name":"Stamps","description":"Stamps.","questions":[{"text":"What do brick stamps tell archaeologists about production and dating?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Describe brick types, sizes and uses from building references.","Inspect brickwork and report cracks, spalling or leaning walls to the owner."],"mustNot":["Stack or lift bricks overhead where they can fall on people.","Approve masonry that does not meet the building code or design.","Hide signs of structural movement in brick walls.","Ignore labour abuse, such as bonded labour in brick kilns, in supply records."],"requiresHuman":["Removing load-bearing brickwork.","Declaring a damaged brick building safe to enter."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Unreinforced brick buildings collapse in earthquakes and kill people.","Bonded and child labour persist in brick kilns in parts of the world."],"affectedParties":["Occupants and passers-by","Builders","Kiln workers"]},"owners":{"steward":"The building owner for walls; the maker or holder for bricks; building control approves structural work.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q125279331","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q206615","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"building material","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"masonry unit","type":"related","note":"laid in mortar"},{"target":"brickmaking","type":"related","note":"the industry"},{"target":"brickwork","type":"related","note":"walls and arches"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.brick","Wikidata: Q40089 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q40089)","brick standards: EN 771, ASTM C62 and others by region"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["common metric size: 215 by 102.5 by 65 mm - UK","compressive strength: about 10-100 MPa - by type"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["A brick is typically a rectangular masonry unit.","In this sense, a brick is made of ceramic material, typically fired clay.","Blocks are typically larger, tiles are thin, and dressed stone is natural stone.","A rectangular block, usually red to brown from fired clay, with or without holes or a frog, laid in courses with mortar."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["identify kinds and standards","explain manufacture and properties","relay history and regional traditions","distinguish from related units"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Frost damage and spalling","Efflorescence","Kiln emissions and labour issues in some regions","Confusing bricks with blocks"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["EN 771 and ASTM standards for masonry units","Building codes for masonry","Environmental rules for brick kilns"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Building walls and structures in masonry.","fired clay bricks including facing, engineering and perforated bricks","calcium silicate bricks","concrete bricks","mud and adobe bricks","historical bricks such as Roman bricks and regional forms such as Helsingborg brick","stamped bricks and brick stamps as historical evidence","small-format bricks such as Lilliput"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q40089: brick","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q40089","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Brick","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should each brick type be a separate entry?","How should standards be linked by region?","The registry entry has merged aliases naming types, a historical brick and stamps; should they be split off?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q40089/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q40089/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T23:27:52Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:30+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}