Introduction
Ubuntu Blox are a building technology that was developed by Harvey Lacey. Ubuntu Blox projects have been implemented in Haiti to build structures with upcycled waste. Ubuntu Blox houses can take about one forty foot shipping container's worth of Styrofoam out of the waste stream. The Styrofoam is collected, crushed, and bleached before it is put into rice sacks to make the blocks. The blocks are held together with wire and stacked on top of each other in between rebar. The blocks are then plastered over. The final structure is lightweight and flexible, making it highly resistant to earthquakes, and less dangerous if it does collapse. An Ubuntu Blox house has survived a. 8.3 shaketable test with only minor plaster damage. Ubuntu Blox houses have been built in Cité Soleil, Jacmel, and Haiti Communitere.
Gallery
The gallery below shows images of an Ubuntu Blox house built in Haiti Communitere.
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An alternate view of the Ubuntu Blox house.
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A truth window to show the blocks inside of the walls of the house.
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This is what the inside looks like.
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A pile of blocks ready for a new Ubuntu Blox house.
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A close up of a block held together with wire.
Video
The videos below demonstrate the Ubuntu Blox technology. The first video shows Harvey Lacey discussing the Ubuntu Blox technology. The second video shows an Ubuntu Blox house surviving an 8.0+ shaketable test.
Considerations
- One of the considerations that must be taken into account when introducing new ideas to any culture is whether or not those ideas will be accepted. The Ubuntu Blox house has received positive feedback from Haitians, due to the fact that there is no trash actually showing in the final structure, and that it has a traditional shape. With those considerations in mind, the Ubuntu Blox house may be more culturally appropriate than a rounded cob structure with plastic bottles showing through the walls for example.
- The Ubuntu Blox house, while very stable as a single story building, is not strong enough to support more than one story.
- There has been a government ban on Styrofoam in Haiti. If Styrofoam use discontinues, than this method of building may have to be altered, adapted, or abandoned in Haiti.
Next Steps for Haiti Communitere Ubuntu Blox house
- Insulate the roof.