Thursday, August 25, 2005

Affordable interlocking dry stacking soil-cement blocks an invention by Hydraform


Imagine building a wall out of blocks made from just soil and cement that interlock with each other and require no mortar. Reducing construction costs through the use of soil-cement blocks is a growing trend in Africa where the cost of cement is prohibitive. Hydraform founded by Jochen Kofahl and Robert Plattner is the leading company in this field:

"...The Hydraform building system replaces conventional bricks and mortar through the use of Hydraform blocks, which are largely dry-stacked. The other components of the conventional building system remain unchanged..."

"...The blocks are manufactured by hydraulically compressing a soil-cement mixture in the Hydraform block making machine. Since the production of the first Hydraform block in 1988, the design has become more sophisticated and the efficiency and capacity of the Hydraform block making machine has been increased dramatically..."

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