Brick
Lifespan: Can
Pro: Thermal regulation is better than that of concrete or other modern building designs, meaning little to no heating or cooling is required. They are also more sound proof thanks to the thick walls.
Con: Water
Solutions: A
Materials: S
Types of Bricks & Building Styles
Traditional Brick and Cement
Lifespan: #
Pros: #
Cons: #
Solutions: #
Materials: L
Hemp Blocks
Lifespan: #
Pros: R70 value for insulative properties, but as strong as concrete blocks. Fire proof and helps regulate indoor humidity. The hemp absorbs carbon while growing, then the lime stone absorbs CO2 after being made, making this far more carbon neutral than low-carbon cement. Each house built from this material can sequester as much as 10 tons of carbon. Insulative properties not only help regulate indoor temperatures, but cut down on noise pollution from outside.
Cons: #
Solutions: #
Materials: Hemp, Lime, and Recycled Plastic or Bioplastic for the interlocking pegs.
Amazing Lego-Style HEMP BLOCKS Make Building a House Quick, Easy & Sustainable
9:01 minute video talks about a specific brand of interlocking hempcrete brick. Instead of concrete, they are made from hemp and limestone.
Interlocking Stabilized Soil Bricks (ISSBs)
Lifespan: #
Pros: #
Cons: #
Solutions: #
Materials: Local soil
She builds affordable homes in Ghana using ISSBs | Real Estate in Ghana | Earth Construction
38:47 minute video. "Ghanaian entrepreneur uses interlocking stabilised soil bricks to build affordable homes in Ghana. In this video, we talk with the remarkable Eno Anobea Freeman about building with interlocking bricks, her experience, processes, challenges and so many things in between. Eno has been building with these bricks since 2018. We learn how we can use ISSBs as an alternative construction material for our homes."
Sarga Blocks
Made from sargassum seaweed which has been reproducing at record rates due to climate change and increase pollution in the ocean. It covers beaches in stinky, itchy, rotting biomatter which can cause respiratory and other health problems for humans and wildlife. Instead of sending it to landfills where it would add to air pollution, a clever Mexican man has developed a way to turn it into affordable housing for people in his community and around the world.
Lifespan: #
Pros: Helps eliminate sargassum waste from beaches, reducing emissions, and providing cheap, well-insulated homes for low-income families.
Cons: #
Solutions: #
Materials: L
How Bricks Made From Invasive Seaweed Clean Mexico's Beaches | World Wide Waste | Insider Business
8:12 minute video about the making of sargablocks, including interviews with the people who live in sargablock houses.
Plastic Bricks
Lifespan: #
Pros: #
Cons: #
Solutions: #
Materials: L
Plastic Bottle Bricks
Regular soda bottles are packed tightly with sand, before being used as bricks, then covered with an outer layer to prevent the sun and other elements from degrading the plastic. In other words, preventing them from becoming brittle and breaking into microplastics.
Lifespan: #
Pros: Helps eliminate plastic waste from in communities who don't have access to recycling services, reducing emissions, and providing cheap, well-insulated homes for low-income families.
Cons: #
Solutions: #
Materials: L
Companies
North America
Mexico
Sargablock "Los primeros estudios elaborados a nuestro block sostienen que una pieza contiene entre un 40% y un 60% de sargazo."
