Sendbrick system

The aspiration to create a sustainable, easily organized and self-assembling construction method-particularly in situations where reliable and sturdy shelters need to be installed quickly, such as in the case of natural disasters or makeshift housing, but also for ordinary construction-was the birth of the Sandbrick system, which is based on the use of local raw materials as building components and represents a completely new approach to prefabricated and on-site construction systems.

The Sandbrick system significantly reduces energy consumption, transportation of building materials, and other traditional site requirements. In many parts of the world, one of the most challenging construction problems is the lack of primary resources, especially water, which are essential for binding and processing other basic materials such as sand, clay, and earth. Prefabricated and non-prefabricated construction methods require singular modules and components that must be fabricated off-site, often in other countries, and then transported and organized at construction sites before starting construction. In this context, a new construction method was devised to address these problems and provide rapidly assembled structures that are highly functional, safe, and strong, without the need for skilled labor or binders such as water, cement, or other high-quality resources. The Sandbrick system overcomes the typical limitations of traditional construction methods and consists of small, lightweight components that can be easily transported, organized, and quickly assembled to suit a variety of construction contexts. A series of perforated bioplastic sheets, packed flat, are manually assembled to form “bricks” and simply folded to shape the edges. Once assembled, these “bricks” are filled with whatever local materials are available that provide sufficient weight for overall structural stability and strength, such as stones, rocks, sand, soil, and so on, without the use of construction mixtures or water.

Sandbrick System is easily equipped with all the usual systems and technologies (heating, plumbing, etc.), which are conveniently installed inside the cavities of the custom-made “brick” structures. Depending on the materials used as fillers, thermal and acoustic insulation can be achieved.

Sandbrick System is patented together with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Polytechnic University of Milan, Eng. Britta Gelati owner of the structural engineering firm Bring SRL. and arch. Silvia Bignami.