The Law Offices of John Caravella, P.C. does not own this content. This content was created by Ashley Miznazi Miami Herald (TNS), and was published to the Tampa Bay Times on August 19th, 2024.
Would you live in a place built from life-size Lego bricks?
Some people in South Florida already do — in a first-of-its-kind apartment project using innovative new building blocks designed to be assembled much like a giant toy kit. But unlike the structures your rambunctious 5-year-old can smash like the Hulk in seconds, the Miami company behind the blocks says they’re built to last and have been tested to withstand Category 5 hurricane winds.
RENCO, the company that developed the design and formula for the blocks, touts them as cleaner and greener than traditional construction methods. Rather than typical blocks of concrete, these are made from a mix of recycled glass and plastic, resins and limestone powder called calcite fused together under heat. Rather than blueprints, workers follow color-coded diagrams to fit the blocks together, then lock them in with glue.
“We can build projects now that are faster, cheaper, more economical, more sustainable, and more resilient than typical, conventional construction,” said RENCO president Kenneth Smuts. “I think that’ll give many opportunities for workforce housing, and for builders and developers to get more projects done to help solve a lot of social problems that a lot of our cities are having now.”
There’s also another big benefit that any Florida homeowner would appreciate: No wood means no termites.
The company has showcased its blocks in a new 96-unit, three-story apartment development called Lakewood in the small village of Palm Springs, just west of Interstate 95 in Palm Beach County. They’re priced to appeal to working families, with two-bedroom units going for $2,000 a month and three-bedrooms going for $2,500. The inside of the units looks like any other nice, new place, but things are different behind the drywall and tiles.
Smuts said it took 11 workers just eight weeks to complete it. A project of that size using conventional materials would have taken at least three months to complete and likely more, he said. The speed of erecting a building shell is just one advantage for builders, he said. The savings could be passed on to buyers and renters.
“The only way you can save money is by time and labor on the job,” Smuts said.
RENCO says the blocks are also much easier to handle — an estimated 75% percent lighter than concrete blocks of similar size — and the fittings on the top and bottom of the blocks, called studs in Lego world, anchor them together. Crews use glue guns to lock them in place permanently as the walls rise. Concrete blocks have to be tied together with lots of steel, plywood forms and poured concrete, which also takes a week to cure.
The company says assembling the blocks is easier, requiring fewer laborers and less material. Following construction plans is a relatively simple process, with color-coded visuals showing what pieces to stack and where to put them — not unlike the directions in a Lego toy kit.
The company also says workers can be trained in a matter of hours to construct a building shell. Finishing a project, of course, still requires skilled trade work, like electricians, plumbers, tile installers and roofers. But overall, Smuts said, there would be less expense for labor, less need for heavy equipment like cranes, less cutting things to fit on-site and less wasted material, which which means developers don’t have to pay for the big dumpsters.
“You’re not filling dumpsters up with tons of broken block or ends of cut wood framing or form work that you need for concrete,” said Smuts.
The Law Offices of John Caravella, P.C. does not own this content. This content was created by Ashley Miznazi Miami Herald (TNS), and was published to the Tampa Bay Times on August 19th, 2024.
John Caravella, Esq
John Caravella Esq., is a construction attorney and formerly practicing project architect at The Law Office of John Caravella, P.C., representing architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, and owners in all phases of contract preparation, litigation, and arbitration across New York and Florida. He also serves as an arbitrator to the American Arbitration Association Construction Industry Panel. Mr. Caravella can be reached by email: [email protected] or (631) 608-1346.
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