Characterisation of Compacted Earth Block for Use in Buildings

This work arose from the need to deepen research into soil-cement blocks as an alternative building material, analysing them from an architectural point of view, observing the housing problem in Brazil and also looking for solutions that would contribute to preserving the environment. Since a large amount of natural resources are extracted indiscriminately in order to build new homes and also cause significant waste generation, we suggest incorporating cement and sand mortar waste from wall laying and cladding into the production of soil-cement blocks, known as SCR (soil-cement-waste) BTC (compacted earth block), for use in the vertical sealing of social housing, by means of studies, tests and analyses of technical performance. In general terms, replacing soil with waste is considered to be an economical and sustainable alternative for the production of building components that meet the criteria of modular coordination, mechanical strength, water absorption capacity and durability required for the good performance of housing buildings.