FROM EARTH TO VALUE

Earth blocks are circular building products that can make a major contribution to reducing the building sector's material footprint and CO2 emissions. Unlike conventional bricks, the material is not fired, which greatly reduces CO2 emissions during the production process. If no additives or stabilisers are added, the chemical composition is not changed during the production process and at the end of the life cycle, the material can be used again as a raw material or returned to nature in an unmodified form. When using excavated soil from construction sites as raw material for production, no mining of new raw materials is needed either.

In Europe, various earth block producers are active across Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. As pioneers, earth blocks producers such as Cycle Terre, OSKAM, and Terrabloc contribute to the transition towards a more environmentally friendly construction sector and the upscaling of the application of earth block masonry in real-life construction projects.

In the living lab, we conduct research on the application of different clay bricks in European pilot projects. Additionally, we are in contact with the various European earth block manufacturers, of which a significant number are part of our advisory board. This allows them to provide feedback on the research results of the living lab.

Below is an overview of different producers in Europe.

In Belgium, BC materials and BrickZ, project partner of the living lab, is the only earth block producer with a scaled-up production. Currently, BC Materials offers the Léém moulded block, a raw earth block without additives or stabilizers, as well as the Léém compressed earth block, an earth block stabilised with 3.85% cement.