Interesting Cinder Block Idea

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Vic99 said:
http://www.grist.org/list#item-2011-11-21-heres-a-house-made-of-newspaper-and-lottery-tickets

A bit vague on the testing, but what a concept.

indeed!
I kept thinking about what happens when water mixes with it over a long period... I didn't hear them mention anything.
It really reminds me of cellulose insulation.
 
It looked like they were doing water absorption tests in the video. The bricks were soaking in a big vat.
 
It's kind of like strawbale, but you could stack and finish them off easier. And fire retardant.

Matt
 
Hi,
Thanks for finding that -- really interesting product.

I talked to one of the folks at GreenstarBlox and got a bit more info.

It seems to me the key advantage of this stuff over papercrete (which it basically is a form of) is that they 1) they save you the effort of making the blocks, 2) they use a precise recipe and process, so the blocks consistently meet a standard, and 3) they are planning to have building code approval for the blocks in early 2012.

The cost is of course a lot higher than making papercrete, but it appears its very competitive cost wise with other wall building techniques.

I think the building code approval is really a key item -- I'm guessing it would be very tough in most locations to get a papercrete house bought off by the local building department.

I came away thinking that this was a really interesting product and it might be a great thing for an energy efficient, owner built home.

My notes from the conversation are here: http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SolarHomes/GreenstarBlox/GreenstarBlox.htm

Gary
 
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