DIY Mud-Brick Machine Builds Life-Sized, LEGO-Style Blocks

Rammed earth structures make great use of local and sustainable construction materials, but pressing and curing each layer can be tough to do for small-scale contractors or do-it-yourself types.

Hence, this ingenious portable hydraulic press from MecoConcept, which can pump out finished blocks in thirty seconds right on site. Set on wheels, the brick-making machine can be moved along as needed, requiring only one person to work it at a time.

Styled after LEGOs, each pressed-mud building block is shaped with bumps and grooves on each surface for easy stacking and side-by-side placement. Seismic-resident, stackable up to two stories, these simple bricks pack a lot into a small unit — via Dornob