Masonry construction is commonly known as a wet construction method. The site-intensive process of laying masonry uses binders, with hydraulic lime being the most common, in which water activates a chemical reaction to harden and bond unit elements (modular or irregular) in an infinite variety of stacking arrangements. Historically, Roman opuses or opera symbolize masonry construction's durability - some of their compressive shapes still stand thousands of years after they were built. Masonry owes its strength to both the permanent binding and the geometric stacking of elements with width and shape as indicators of performance. Bricks, blocks, and stones, are piled following modular dimensions or distributed informally to fill out walls, and more spectacularly arches, domes or vaults using temporary supports as elements are allowed to bind and cure.
Masonry is associated with on-site messiness as liquid binders are mixed and troweled onsite. Dry masonry, common in contexts lacking resources and knowledge to mix robust binders, was developed as a structural alternative based not on the adhesion between units and mortar, but on how elements are fitted together, intertwined in structural resistant geometries with no binding agents except the units' form and weight. This type of clean/dry masonry construction inspires modern alternatives that relieve intensive site conditions requiring no specialized labour.
Three startups, Plaex™, Systeme3™ and Legioblocks™ all share a renewed interest in simplifying masonry construction by either minimizing or even eliminating messy binders. Each system is manufactured with shapes or profiles designed to stack, interlock and snap together like toy Lego™ bricks. All three systems propose load-bearing walls that support other building elements to span horizontal spans. Systeme3™ for example showcases the use of hollow core slabs supported by precast concrete beams and posts to form an industrialized building system. The skeletal structure is infilled with the interlocking blocks which are then layered or insulated to form single- or multi-layered wall systems. Promoted on their ease of assembly, the three systems also promote new materials that include recycled content. Dry Interlocking also introduces potential disassembly and circularity to contemporary masonry construction.
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| left: Plaex™, center: Systeme3™ and right: Legioblocks™ |
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