Technology plus sustainability equals the world’s first
eco block (and earthquake resistant) school.
In Finland, a company is doing something remarkable with plastic waste. After a long period of development, the Block Solutions company has engineered a way to recycle plastic into blocks that are strong enough for building construction.
And the blocks are not just strong.
In August 2018, two earthquakes hit the Indonesian Island of Lombok, killing 550 people and destroying entire villages. Businesses, schools and homes were wiped out.
Enter Classroom of Hope, longest-running partner of the Navitas Education Trust (NET). This developmental organisation has been building schools in remote areas of Cambodia for the past seven years. Classroom of Hope Founder and CEO Duncan Ward was living in Indonesia at the time of the earthquakes.
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Duncan set his sights on the earthquake ravaged area of Lombok, and together with Block Solutions, commenced planning to build a school out of eco blocks.
Offering more than just a solution to tackling the plastic pollution problem, eco blocks offer seismic resistance (the ability to withstand an earthquake). Their lightweight, elastic properties allow for far more tolerance than convention bricks and mortar.
Another amazing property of the blocks is how quickly a building can be assembled. Classroom of Hope, with the help of local NGO the Pelita Foundation, built the first school in six days.
"[These schools] are so much more durable, they're lightweight, they're cost effective, and they're going to last 100-plus years, and they're cleaning up the environment.” Duncan Ward Classroom of Hope Founder and CEO
The NET is providing funding for the second eco block school, which will also be built in Lombok. Classroom of Hope also has plans to build more schools, as well as a factory in Indonesia to process plastic waste locally, and use eco blocks for future building projects.
Watch the time-lapse video of the school being built.
Video by: Kristoffer Trondsen