by Georges Dyer, Partner, Aedi Group
The portable GreenMachine makes regular, structural blocks from local subsoil with very little cement and water.
Green buildings come in all shapes and sizes and can be made out of all kinds of materials. One technology that facilitates the use of low-cost, local, natural materials is the GreenMachine.
Developed and refined by TerraBuilt over the last ten years or so, the GreenMachine uses local subsoil (not topsoil) as the basis for uniform, structural blocks that can be easily stacked (doesn’t require skilled labor) to build homes and other structures.
The earthen blocks provide good insulation that keep heating and cooling requirements down and limits energy demand.
The tongue and groove allows for no-mortar construction, and the blocks can cure in the wall so you can start stacking them right off the machine.
In addition to the subsoil, each block is about 8% cement and requires some water. But all in all, the system is relatively self-sufficient, cutting down on extraction, processing and shipping – and all of the social and ecological costs associated at every step of the way. All of this makes it great for remote sites (although it’s an interesting solution anywhere). The machine itself can be towed by a jeep or pick-up truck and is easily moved around the site and between sites.
One cubic yard of subsoil and 1.5 bags of cement makes 84 “TerraBricks” – each about the size of your standard cinderblock. The GreenMachine can crank out 4-5 per minute.
You can download and check out a video of the GreenMacine in action here.
