Urban Earth – Compressed Earth Blocks

The Compressed Earth Blocks (CEBs) developed by the Sediments project explore Berlin-Brandenburg's potential for building with earth-based materials. Sourced from the urban construction and demolition waste (CDW) streams of excavation, our blocks have been certified for use in load-bearing, multi-story masonry construction.

For centuries, earth has been used as a building material. Among the wide range of construction techniques—such as cob, rammed earth, and adobe—the use of compressed blocks offers the most promising opportunity for a contemporary iteration of earth-based construction at scale. Directly linked to the masonry trade and the existing and scaled brick-making industry, earth blocks enable the repurposing of existing, carbon-intensive value chains for the production of a regenerative material.

Bauhaus Earth’s research has demonstrated this potential by showcasing certified CEBs made for the inner-city excavation in the ProtoPotsdam living lab. The blocks comply with all relevant technological standards and offer a scaleable, low-carbon, and nature-based contribution to the region’s efforts toward decarbonized construction.

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