Blobwall and Bricks

A team of designers, architects and engineers led by Greg Lynn has developed a unique modular construction system which they call “Blobwall.” This is an interesting construction method, so we’re taking a look at it today.

The Blobwall is comprised of unit shapes which are called “bricks.” These shapes are quite interesting, and fun to look at and arrange. However, they are definitely not “bricks” as known to masons and masonry. These bricks are “…low-density, recyclable, impact-resistant polymer. The blob unit, or “brick,” is a robotically cut mass-produced hollow tri-lobed shape formed through rotational molding, which is then assembled with interlocking precision to form the wall.”

It is interesting how these shapes are arranged.  There is a free-form interlock which is aesthetically pleasing.

These bricks do not have a high compressive strength; they are not mass produced as standard bricks are made. Each shape must be robotically produced. These “bricks” are also cut into as they are arranged and assembled.  By contrast, manufactured blocks can be produed at a rate of around 1.7 seconds per block (6 at-a-time, 10 second cycle time)

If we go back to some basic definitions, masonry is defined as (1) “the craft or occupation of a mason.” (2) “work constructed by a mason, esp. stonework.” A mason is defined as “a person whose trade is building with units of various natural or artificial mineral products, as stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or tiles, usually with the use of mortar or cement as a bonding agent.” This modular unit is not really a brick at all, and should not be considered masonry.

The assembled forms of the Blobwall result in large holes or gaps between the unit shapes. While this provides an interesting aesthetic, it does not keep out the elements, wind, rain, etc. as do regular bricks, or the interlocking triangular bricks described on this blog.

This is an interesting technology and design, but it does not quite fall within the realm of masonry. The unit shape is not a brick, there is low compressive strength, it cannot be inexpensively mass-produced, and the resulting shell is not weatherproof or suitable for habitation.

I’d say it’s pretty cool to look at though.

Non-Fired brick and Block: for a Green Future

Bricks and blocks made from material which is not fired, or heat treated, have long been a goal of the masonry industry. Firing bricks creates pollution and contributes to greenhouse gasses.


China has long been the world’s major producer of fired clay bricks. They have recently begun to phase out the creation of fired clay bricks, and are now using cement-based bricks, which create less pollution and CO2 than fired bricks.

In this article, shared with me by my business partner Mike Wong, a recent effort to create non-fired brick in Viet Nam is discussed. This effort appears very promising, and may help the world find an adequate solution toward the creation of non-fired brick and block.

Here is another description of making non-fired brick. This technology uses bacteria and room temperature sand, and also appears very promising.

Interestingly, the Vietnamese approach relies on industrial waste, like slag from combustion and metal processing. This approach hearkens back to the cinder block, as developed and invented by Francis Straub, as discussed earlier in this blog. Sometimes it seems there is nothing new, only that which has been forgotten.

English Brick and Limey Sailors

Settlement of the Americas by English colonists meant that new buildings had to be made in the New World. Bricks were brought to the colonies in the holds of ships, used as ballast.

At the end of the seventeenth century, lime was used as a mortar for brick construction. Lime does not harden rapidly like portland cement; it hardens slowly as CO2 is absorbed from the atmosphere. Cement which will harden rapidly is known as hydraulic cement. (The development of hydraulic cement is an interesting chapter, the subject of tomorrow's blog.)

By the eighteenth century American brickmaking had come into its own. Colonial Williamsburg has an excellent program where the early brickworks have been reproduced, showing visitors how these early American bricks were made.

Brick laying methods, techniques and terminology were adopted directly from European masonry practice, and many of these terms are still used in American masonry today. For example, a brick "soldier course" refers to bricks laid vertically with the narrow edge facing outward; a brick "sailor course" refers to bricks laid vertically with the wide edge facing outward.

English sailors ate lime to prevent scurvy, becoming known as "limeys." English brick laid as sailor courses with early (lime) mortar were also limey sailors!

Several different techniques of laying courses (rows) of bricks are used by masons. The thickness of a masonry wall is determined by the layers of bricks, or "wythes." The different patterns created by the stacking arrangements of bricks all have different names for the types of bonds created. Flemish bond, stretcher bond, English bond, Header bond, Rat-trap bond, Herringbone bond and Basket bond are all examples of brick patterns found in early American homes and still in use by masons today.

Brick laying is a rich field of history, and many of these early structures still survive today. This is a subject we'll be coming back to in future blogs. The development of the American brick industry is practically its own subject which we'll be taking a long look at.