Brick Developer Promotes Clay, Compressed-Earth Formulation

Interlocking, compressed-earth bricks produced by Quick-Brick USA, LLC, have been approved by Florida-based Davis and Cleaton Engineering for home and

Interlocking, compressed-earth bricks produced by Quick-Brick USA, LLC, have been approved by Florida-based Davis and Cleaton Engineering for home and commercial building construction. Groundbreaking for a demonstration home in Alamonte Springs, Fla., is scheduled for this month in a project Quick-Brick has initiated with Seminole County officials.

According to its developers, Quickbrick is fabricated primarily from clay and soil to provide a structural building product that offers a single solution to Florida’s many environmental hazards Û hurricanes, floods, forest fires, termite and insect infestation, heat, mold and mildew Û at lower cost than conventional alternatives. Nearly 2_ times stronger than concrete block, Quick-Brick officials contend, the product can withstand the strongest hurricanes with no damage; is waterproof at a molecular level (no expansion or contraction); fireproof, termite- and insect-proof; soundproof (from outside and inside noise); and, insulated with a heat resistance of R-21 and a thermal mass of R-45.

Quickbrick has been tested by certified laboratories in the U.S. according to ASTM testing methods and standards, company officials note. Units interlock on four sides and are glued together with the widely available Liquid Nails adhesive. Though solid and dense, the bricks can be cut, drilled, routed and sanded with woodworking tools. A one-inch-square hole is created when two bricks interlock, providing a chase for electrical conduit and water pipes. Once painted, the brick reportedly becomes 100 percent waterproof due to its density. Measuring 8 in. _ 8 in. _ 4_-in. high and weighing approximately 19 lb. each, Quickbricks are suitable for exterior and interior walls.