Our System
In the development of our Adobe Madre building system, we started with the common adobe brick; the world’s most used building material and method. Through the years we have developed a simple system in which inexpensive wooden, metal or plastic molds shape custom adobe bricks which accept reinforcing, conduits, as well as easy, safe and inexpensive scaffolding.
We were creative, practical and caring during the development of the system, making sure that the system would safely shelter families and be simple to learn. The fundamentals can be learned in a day, and people all around the world can use it. The main material required, earth, is available to everyone. The equipment required is inexpensive and readily available everywhere.
Our US patent-pending system is based on the rapid molding and lay-up of specially shaped adobe bricks to form sturdy, durable and beautiful walls. The production of adobe bricks is one of the simplest processes by which construction materials are made. And, the lay-up of adobe bricks is the easiest, most forgiving way to achieve a solid masonry wall system. We expect that thoughtfully constructed adobe brick walls will last for 200 years, or even more if re-plastered every 50 years or so.
Adobe Madre Bricks
The Materials
The first task of an adobe brick builder is to locate a suitable source of earth to use. While many types of soils can attain the strength and durability required, the most workable raw material is a mix of about 75% sand with about 25% clay for bricks, mortars and plasters. Some people live in a very dry climate, which would allow them to use the mix just described without the need of stabilizers such as cement, lime, bitumen or others. However, the use of a stabilizer dramatically improves the structural performance as well as the wall surface durability.
When using cement as a stabilizer we recommend the following mix for workability and durability:
70% sand, 23.5% clay, 6.5% cement and just enough water to achieve the proper consistency. You could add up to 25% aggregate without altering the sand/clay ratio. The sand and aggregate provide strength, whereas the clay acts as a binder and plastic medium to “glue” the other ingredients together. The cement fills smaller voids, which “chink,” or lock the matrix together.
The cost of stabilizing the mix above is usually about 1% of the cost of a new structure and stabilization will allow the walls to endure centuries of exposure to weather, thus not requiring the building to be rebuilt for generations. We assert that this is sound logic with regards to environmental impact, with the long range being of equal concern to the short range.
We recommend referring to our soil stabilization team to determine that the mix for all raw material types is suitable for adobe construction. You may be asked to provide a cereal box full of your raw material to which we can carry out appropriate tests.
The Brick Molding Process
We call our enhanced adobe brick molding system the “slip-mold method” where groups of multiple-molds (6 bricks per mold) are laid out on leveled ground and then filled with a stabilized adobe mud that has just exited an ordinary concrete mixer. The semi-liquid adobe mud is delivered to the molds in a wheelbarrow and it is tipped in all at once. The adobe mud is distributed amongst all the cavities using care to make sure they are well filled. Once the first two molds are completely filled (which takes about 15 minutes) the first multiple-mold is lifted off and “leap-frogged” to the end where it gets filled again. The clay in the mix allows the bricks to retain their shape despite the fact that they have only been in the molds for only about 15 minutes. The process continues from there, with a constant flow of adobe mud and lifting of molds.
Our company’s experienced crew of three normally produces about 700 bricks in an 8-hour day. It is important to note many factors affect the outcome number of bricks, but our Owner/Builder clients have produced anywhere from 400 to 1184 bricks in an 8-hour day using a 3-person team. The record of 1184 bricks goes to Jason Montgomery of Pukekohe, New Zealand and it cost us a case of beer as our own company record was 1132.
All adobe brick buildings with our Adobe Madre building system use a variation of bricks with the following dimensions:
11-1/4” x 11-1/4” x 4-3/4” for imperial based constructions or
280mm x 280mm x 120mm for metric based constructions
Brick Types
There are several brick varieties that can be formed. There are “Standard Bricks”, “U-Bricks”, “O-Bricks”, “Scaffold-Bricks” or “Half-Bricks”. These variations get their name from the ‘block-outs,’ which give the brick their final shape.
Standard-Bricks are solid bricks (with no holes in them); they are required more than any other type, being used wherever reinforcing, services, or scaffolding bricks are not required. Other brick types can be used in place of the Standard Brick, though the unnecessary void will be filled in with adobe mortar.
O-Bricks have a 4-1/2” (115mm) diameter hole in the center of the brick. Two U-Bricks are combined in the next course (half of each on the O-Brick) to form a clean vertical core, which then can be used for reinforcing (steel bars with concrete grout) or services such as electrics, plumbing, or spare sleeves. See Drawing 5.2.
U-Bricks have half of a 4-1/2” (115mm) hole blocked-out from one end of the brick. Two U-Bricks come together to form a clean vertical core in the wall (see description of O-Bricks).
Half-Bricks have half of a 4-1/2” (115mm) hole blocked-out from one end of the brick, This brick type is used to start the corners in the “running bond” or “stretcher-bond” (each course half-laps the previous course). See Drawing 5.2. For the corners and also beside all openings, a Half-Brick comes together with a U-Brick to form a clean vertical core.
Rebate Bricks are for window and door openings and are used to place joinery. Channel Bricks are used to construct adobe arches.
Scaffold Bricks accept self-supporting scaffolding pipes through the wall horizontally, as frequently as necessary. The scaffold system does not require any support from the ground. These handy scaffold bricks are generally laid over the 4th and 8th courses vertically and every 6 bricks horizontally. The scaffold pipes can be relocated quickly and can even form multi-level, stair-step type scaffolding for rapid access. Later, the holes are simply filled with adobe mud and cannot be seen.
Please note that our scaffolding method is currently under review by OSHA and Adobe Building Consultants is not liable for any use or misuse of this method.
More Info
Download Our Flyer
To dowload a copy of our 2-page full color flyer, click on the icon above. The flyer includes a brief description of our system, adobe brick dimensions, facts & benefits, frequently asked questions, as well as photographs of our work.
Contact Us
Telephone
(604) 224-7004
Address
Waiheke Island, New Zeland
Orlando, FL
Decatur, Alabama
Seattle, WA (Coming Soon)