Meco’Press Machine Makes LEGO Building Bricks From Mud

While on a Congolese mission with Doctors Without Borders, Thierry Perrocheau began working on the mechanical design for a portable, natural brick pressing machine. Now the CEO of Meco’concept, Perrocheau and his small team have designed a hydraulic press that transforms ordinary mud into structural building blocks. Since 2008 the team has distributed the Meco’press in France and Belgium, and they have recently seen an overwhelming interest from organizations looking to build in developing nations. The ingenious press offers a green building material solution that can function within the constraints of devastated areas.

Perrocheau told Inhabitat that one of his goals is to have the presses operational in Haiti in the near future. Concerns about portability and global shipment are addressed in the lightweight design of the Meco’Press. Because it can be operated with very little training, is easy to maintain, and uses mostly materials from the building site, testing has found that it can be used throughout 80% of the earth. The small percent left out is due to the lack of clay content in the soil.

Using only mud mixed with a binder material, the hydraulic press creates a LEGO-shaped brick in under 30 seconds. Lime is the suggested binder material, as it is completely natural and it stabilizes the moisture in the brick – eliminating swelling, shrinking, or cracking from excessive dryness. After the press is filled with the mud and lime mixture, 30 tons of hydraulic pressure turn it into a BTC (une brique en terre compressée). BTC’s can be use used for structures up to two stories tall, making them perfect for international aid or for eco-minded builders around the globe.

by Lea Bogdan

Read Full Post »

Low or Zero VOC Emitting Paint: Mythic Paint

Mythic Paint is just one of many companies that offer low/zero VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints to consumers across the country. Based out of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, their website touts the quality of its product’s origins by saying, “Mythic’s genius paint technology was developed in cooperation with the University of Southern Mississippi, a national leader in Polymer Science. It took them six years and a lot of money contributed by the University and various government grants, but they finally came up with Mythic’s proprietary paint technology.” After years of research, Mythic Paint has produced a fantastic non-toxic product that offers a wide range of color options to your home interior without the wide range of health and environmental impacts of standard paints.

Applying non-toxic Low-VOC paint is one of the easiest ways you can “green” your home. VOCs are organic compounds that easily convert to gas at room temperatures. Because of this, many of the materials in our homes (carpets, paints, stains, etc.) are constantly off-gassing these compounds into our indoor air.  The EPA requires specific VOCs that contribute to air pollution and smog to be labeled on paint cans, however, only labeling these compounds informatively neglects the VOCs that can trigger asthma attacks and allergic reactions. The range of VOCs are wide and the negative effects they can have are diverse. In addition to eliminating VOCs entirely, paints like Mythic also offer formulas that throw zero carcinogens in the mix that conventional paints continue to use.

Armed with the knowledge that we now have of the toxicity many conventional household agents, it is hard to understand why people would not be making the easy switch to non-toxic paints, stains, finishes, and cleaners. For more information on where to purchase Mythic paint in your area, visit their website to find a dealer, or the next time you are looking to change up the color/feel of your home interior, ask your paint supplier about the zero-VOC products they offer. Everyone will breathe a little easier.

Please Visit House+Earth for more information or to purchase paint for your next paint project.  Visit GreenTex Builders or call us at (512)891-0819 for a painting or remodel consultation.

Read Full Post »

Austin Fundraising Event – Thank You

Last nights benefit for 1House At A Time hosted by GreenTex Builders and House+Earth was a great success. Those who attended were treated to live painting, great classical guitar, and many wonderful displays by Austin architects, designers, and tradesmen. We’ll post pictures and more details about the event in upcoming days, but we wanted to take the time to thank all of the people who supplied us with the amazing food and drinks for the evening.

Catering service was provided by The Vanilla Orchid. Molly Peck and her crew of chefs and servers went above and beyond to provide the evening’s guests with fantastic food and service. Molly’s chefs offered up great creations for the Spanish themed event like chorizo empanadas and ceviche shots. We couldn’t have asked for better food or service. Everything was fresh and delicious. The presentation was stunning and the crew’s service was friendly, prompt, and readily available for any need.

Local Hill Country brewery Real Ale Brewing Co. provided their Fireman’s Four Blonde Ale for the evening, and Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka made a generous donation of their product for cocktails. A great local painter and muralist, Leigh Watson‘s canvas painting was auctioned off at the end of the evening, with all of the proceeds going to 1house at a time.  Bryant Hill Media provided the photography for the event and Parkcrest Floral provided some wonderful arrangements.

 

This painting by Leigh Watson Accord was auctioned off for the non profit 1house at a time. http://www.Leighwatson.com.

 

A huge thank you to all of the architects – Barley and Pfeifer Architects, Hugh Randolph Architects, and Chas Architects and our sponsors for making this event something special!

Pinnacle Insurance Group, Kozun Capital Management, Marathon Real Estate, Texas Home Technology, PostNet Far West, Think Street, Serious Materials, BMC Select, Dirty Work Services, Luxe Home Interiors, Legend Lighting, Go Local, Melinda Gray Interiors, Personal Economics Group, Texas Solar Power Company, Sematech, and a very generous donation from Meals on Wheels.

Warm Regards,

GreenTex Builders

Cory McCallum

Read Full Post »

House+Earth Austin, Earth-Friendly Building Materials

Want to green up your home a bit without sacrificing any of the aesthetic appeal you are accustomed to with conventional home building materials? Ever thought about what steps you might take to do that? Well it doesn’t mean you have to rig up thousands of dollars worth of solar panels, or move to an Earthship (though both of those options could be cool). Ever wondered what a recycled glass countertop might look like? Have you thought about ordering flooring sourced within your area, rather than flooring that may have been manufactured, cut, stained, and shipped all from across the ocean? Or what about a beautiful new hardwood floor made from reclaimed wood so trees were spared?

Newly opened House and Earth in Austin has everything in their beautiful new store to get you started thinking in the right direction. Opened just a few months ago on W. 6th St. in Austin, TX, Scott and Zach (owner/operators of the new store) have begun providing all the materials one needs to add the environmentally friendly element to their countertops, floors, paints and more.

GreenTex recently had the opportunity to sit down with Scott and Zach to pick their brains about what called them to open the storefront and tell us in more detail about the store and the products found within it. Within this interview, you’ll get excellent insight about some of the products, and you’ll get to see many great shots of the store. The video was filmed and produced by Jake Sam of Austin, TX.

GreenTex Builders Blog – House and Earth from GreenTex Builders on Vimeo.

For further information about any of the green products you will find, please just leave a comment and we’d be happy to answer any question for you. House and Earth’s website is also a great resource with many fine pictures of the products.

Products include: Flooring , Countertops , Cabinets , Tiles , Paints/Finishes/Plasters , Stains and Sealants , Energy/Water Saving Appliances , and more.

Read Full Post »