(Video link HERE.) In addition to plastic snap together grownup legos we could make real things out of, we’ve long dreamed of big concrete Lego-like bricks we could build serious structures out of. So we were thrilled to find this video of Kite Bricks, a patent-pending, production-imminent component brick that is very much like big concrete Legos meant for serious construction products. Like Lego, they have open internal spaces (good for insulation, plumbing or wiring to run through them). Here’s a compelling description we found on at Arstechnica. If Kite Bricks are all they say they are, they will revolutionize the construction industry, and make houses much easier and more affordable to construct.
...they come in a variety of forms for different purposes and can easily connect together, with rows of knobs along the top of bricks that slot into voids along the bottom of other bricks. A special adhesive—which works like a super-strong double-sided sticky tape, a bit like 3M VHB—dispenses with the need for cement. They can be delivered to building sites in a kit complete with traditional doors and windows, allowing for structures to be assembled with a minimum of debris and labor. Steel bars can be slotted through dedicated channels in the bricks to provide the same support as traditionally reinforced concrete.
The bricks feature open internal spaces for insulation, which means that buildings made with the bricks require less energy for heating and cooling. The spaces also allow for infrastructure elements—whether it’s plumbing or wiring—to run through them. Removable panels allow for easy access to these infrastructure elements so that portions of walls don’t need to be torn down for maintenance. The bricks can be used to make floors, walls, and ceilings and the company says that if it constructs the average five story building using the bricks it can save around 30 percent energy compared with traditional construction methods. Kite Bricks also claims to be able to reduce the cost of construction by as much as 50 percent.
The creators of it have taken the idea of Lego to a whole new level. The Lego writ large!
We love the possibilities these hold for the lay person, to build dreamily, imaginatively, experimentally…more affordable shacks, sheds, and camps for retreating and creating.
Find out more about them at Arstechnica.
