During the official fort-building phase of my life, I used chairs, couches, coffee tables, clothespins, and sheets as the raw materials of construction.  I simply cannot imagine what would have happened if we’d had access to the blocks I’m about to describe: Ecomat Building Blocks. 

Image courtesy inhabitat.org

You can think of Ecomat Building Blocks as enormous LEGOs: snap-together interlocking bricks made from 100% recycled materials.  They’re light weight, earthquake resistant, and they’re designed for both temporary and permanent constructions.  Ecomat Building Blocks provide “good thermal and acoustic insulation, don’t require a specialized building team to install, and can be mounted without the use of mortar, which significantly speeds up construction times. Their versatility makes them a great building material for developing nations or emergency housing applications, and their light weight offers significant shipping emissions savings over heavier materials” (Chino).  Right now the blocks aren’t suitable for roofing (there’s no shingle component) but neither is CMU so I don’t see that as much of an issue.

Image courtesy inhabitat.org

I’m also not sure how much they cost but rumor is they’re reasonable.  If you’re at Milan Design Week check out the blocks at the “Sparkling: Ecologically Correct” show in Zona Tortona and let me know what you find out!

WU XING:

I’m classifying these blocks as wood because I think they’re made of plastic. 

Cited:

Chino, Mike. “Ecomat’s LEGO-Like Building Bricks Let You Create Your Own Castle” Inhabitat 04/19/10.  Accessed 04/19/10.  URL.