Sumatec® is a range of factory produced earth blocks.

Produced from waste material (a mixture of earth and clay that has been deemed unsuitable for brick making), they have very low embodied energy. Easy to lay, using the same techniques for traditional brick laying, they can be laid using a lime mortar, such as Lime Technology’s Limetec® hydraulic lime mortar.

Designed to be laid flat to form structural walls, the blocks have a high compressive strength. If tied into another leaf of masonry or timber frame they can also be laid on their edge. They are ideally suited to internal use in order to add thermal mass to buildings but can also be used externally if protected by render or rain-screen cladding.

Compared to other conventional blocks, they offer a huge number of benefits in terms of sustainable construction. They are a proven method of dramatically reducing CO2 in terms of their manufacture and composition. They can also add thermal mass and passive regulation of temperature/humidity to the interior of buildings.

Factory produced, they are also now a commercially viable option for today’s mass construction, offering architects and property developers an alternative to traditional masonry.