Most compressed earth blocks (CEBs) are made in a mechanical press with a mixture of sandy soil, clayey soil, and a small amount of cement and water. CEBs typically require no plaster and are popular for walls, privacy walls, planters and much more. We used CEBs on our outdoor kitchen and raised garden beds. Recently I’ve discovered some rather unusual and very interesting CEBs made with unconventional materials. In addition to the compressed blocks shown here, you could use crushed glass, lava rock, brightly colored soil in sediment-like layers, sea shells, crushed limestone and other low cost and sustainable materials. The main idea is to utilize what is affordable and locally available.
earth block
Low-cost construction interlocking soil cement blocks & bricks
“Low-Cost Housing – Construction – Materials – Habitech International – Interlocking Bricks and Blocks – Habitech International Building System is faster, easier, strong and durable reducing costs – Sustainable Green Technologies – Creates Jobs Generating Income and Revenues”
Lime Stabilized Adobe Bricks
“In response to a recent post on the blog, I searched for Earthen Buildings East Africa to look for photographs and came across the following link:
http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1187&context=theses
[large file warning to those with slow Internet connections]
You may judge it worth publishing on your site as it, for a thesis, examines the properties of building bricks made from various materials for low-cost building in Africa but could be used anywhere as demonstrated by tests in central Tanzania with parallel results from California.
Vertical Versus Horizontal CEB Presses
“Vertical Block Press Pros
– Uniform block dimensions in wall sizes
– Simple adaptive mold changes
– Able to produce interlocking block
– Fewer block imperfections
– Produce quality block
– Produce uniformly dense block
Technical CEB Information
I’ve put together a brief list of compressed earth block (CEB) technical documents.
Compressed Earth Block Wall Build
Yet another way to build with CEBs. This looks like one of the most efficient.