Humanitarian Reconstruction
FROM RUBBLE TO RECONSTRUCTION
What if the ruins themselves could become part of the solution?
RUBBLE
Demolition material is collected, sorted, crushed and screened.
RE-MAKE
Suitable material is combined with cement and water and formed using SIMBlock moulds.
REBUILD
Blocks are assembled using SIMBlock's self-aligning interlocking geometry and conventional mortar.
RECOVER
Local people can participate directly in rebuilding homes and community infrastructure.
Why SIMBlock?
Reconstruction without the usual dependencies
Conventional masonry depends heavily on two things that disaster and conflict frequently remove:
- a functioning construction supply chain
- an available skilled workforce.
SIMBlock is designed to reduce dependence on both.
BUILT LOCALLY
BUILT WITH LESS SKILLED LABOUR
BUILT FOR PERMANENCE
BUILT FASTER
SIMBlocks can potentially be manufactured close to where they are needed using crushed local demolition material and aggregate.
This can dramatically reduce the quantity of finished masonry products that need to be transported into a reconstruction zone.
SIMBlock geometry controls alignment, level and spacing as the wall is constructed.
This allows people with limited previous masonry experience to participate in wall construction following appropriate training and supervision.
SIMBlock is not intended simply as an emergency shelter system.
It is designed as a mortar-compatible masonry construction system for durable housing and community infrastructure.
The interlocking system is designed to simplify and accelerate wall construction by removing many of the repetitive alignment and levelling operations involved in conventional blockwork.
SIMBlock currently reports approximately 50% faster wall construction compared with conventional masonry. Independent field validation of this figure is one of the objectives of the proposed humanitarian pilot programme.
Where could SIMBlock make a difference?
Earthquake Reconstruction
Conflict & Post-War Reconstruction
Protracted Displacement
Disaster Resilience
Earthquakes can simultaneously create enormous demand for housing and enormous quantities of demolition debris.
SIMBlock could allow suitable rubble to become part of the reconstruction material while enabling local communities to participate in rebuilding permanent structures.
War can destroy both buildings and the construction economy required to replace them.
Local block production and reduced reliance on skilled bricklayers could support the phased rebuilding of homes and neighbourhoods as displaced populations return.
Where temporary settlements gradually develop into longer-term communities, locally produced masonry can provide a route from emergency shelter towards more durable buildings while creating opportunities for training and employment.
Reconstruction should not simply reproduce what existed before.
SIMBlock is being developed with reinforced wall solutions intended to contribute to build-back-better programmes in areas exposed to earthquakes, high winds and other natural hazards.
