At Our Goals, innovation, safety and sustainability are at the heart of every CSR project we do. Block Solutions, a pioneering company in the field of construction, is transforming the way we build by creating sustainable, and safe building blocks made from recycled plastic. Their unique approach to construction removes waste from the environment and enables rapid construction of schools – an entire school can be constructed in only one week.
In addition to the innovative use of recycled plastic in producing their blocks, another notable advantage of Block Solutions’ building system is the remarkable speed at which schools can be constructed. Unlike traditional concrete school construction methods, which can be time-consuming and have a high carbon footprint, Block Solutions’ lightweight blocks allow for rapid construction.
This means that a school can be built in a fraction of the time it would take using conventional methods. The blocks are manufactured directly in Lombok which saves valuable time and carbon footprint when building the schools. A school built with blocks from Block Solutions can last for around 100 years.
Earthquake resilience
But the benefits of Block Solutions go beyond just speed and efficiency. The blocks themselves are incredibly strong and durable, with a loading capacity that is twice that of traditional 5-inch cement blocks. This means that buildings constructed with Block Solutions blocks are both safer and more resilient to natural disasters such as earthquakes. Tests have been conducted as part of the extensive research of Professor Ayman S. Mosallam, who confirmed that buildings constructed with plastic blocks offer a higher degree of safety due to their low mass and the resulting lower seismic design forces.
Seismic forces are inertial forces that result from the acceleration of mass, so the lower the mass of a building, the lower the seismic design forces it will experience. Because Block Solutions’ structures are incredibly lightweight, they are less susceptible to damage from seismic activity. Even in extreme situations where unexpected large seismic forces cause parts of a Block Solution building to fall, the lightweight nature of the materials minimizes the potential for harm to the occupants inside.
Fire safety
afety is a top priority and Block Solutions has gone to great lengths to ensure that their products meet the highest standards. An extensive set of tests have been performed by an external accredited institute to verify the characteristics of the products, including thermal conductivity, fire testing, load-bearing testing, and tensile strength testing. These tests form the basis for future ETA approval in the EU, and additional verification tests are being conducted in Egypt, South Africa, and Ghana.
One of the most common concerns about building with plastic is fire resistance. Block Solutions has addressed this by ensuring that their blocks are covered with gypsum board or concrete to meet the necessary fire resistance requirements. The raw material used in the production of Block Solutions blocks is polypropylene, which has been approved by the FDA for use in food containers and has no known cancer-causing effects.
The blocks produced by Block Solutions have been rigorously tested for fire resistance using the NFPA 251 standard test method. The product successfully passed the test, meeting the requirements for a 60-minute fire resistance rating. To achieve this 1-hour fire rating, the blocks are covered with 40 mm of rockwool and gypsum. This demonstrates that Block Solutions’ products can withstand fire for a period, providing an added layer of safety for the buildings constructed using their blocks.
A recycled composite block school opening ceremony – Photo by Our Goals
Block Solutions is a game-changer in the construction of schools. Their recycled plastic blocks offer a safer, more sustainable and more efficient way to build schools funded by Our Goals’ clients. With their innovative approach to construction and commitment to safety and sustainability, they are delivering real social impact. As we partner to build the schools and communities of tomorrow, Our Goals’ clients will play an important role in shaping a safer, more sustainable and equitable world.
Our Goals is proud to be at the forefront of a new era in CSR. We face environmental challenges head-on and transform them into educational opportunities. We invite you join us, share your thoughts and partner with us in your company’s next CSR project. Let’s improve sustainability and education, one block at a time.
