To promote principles of “Green Architecture” and “Affordable Homes’ and develop designs with appropriate technologies that are environmentally-friendly, economic and aesthetically appealing, the Faculty of Engineering at MSA University took the initiative of importing a motorized hydraulic press machine with high specifications and compression force to produce interlocking compressed earth blocks “Eco Bricks” (size 25cm x 12.5cm and various heights) using the available sandy soil at MSA 6th of October Campus. High mechanical properties and compression strengths of “Eco Bricks” are obtained without the need of the polluting firing process used in conventional red bricks. In addition, because of the interlocking “Lego-like” feature of the bricks and their high quality and accuracy, neither mortar nor plastering are needed, reducing thus the cost and minimizing the use of cement of which its industry is on the top of the list of pollutants.
In numbers, CO2 emissions of Eco Bricks are 12 times less than red bricks, they need 10 times less embodied energy than red bricks for their production, building with them is 4 times faster and 1m2 finished wall is 60% cheaper than a finished conventional wall. The machine’s productivity is 1600 bricks per 8 hours and creates many work opportunities. It is worthy to say that the press machine is the beginning of launching the establishment of “MSA Center of Earth” training and research center at MSA University 6th of October Campus. The center is intending to build an experimental residential unit at MSA campus that will help in developing an Egyptian building code for this technology. This dream come true would have never been possible without the full support and vision of Dr. Nawal El Degwi, Head of Board of Trustees and Dr. Nahed Sobhi, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, and the determination of, efforts made and intensive training took by Dr. Nermine Abdel Gelil (Architecture) and her team: Arch. Omar El Melegy (Architecture), Arch.
Abdel Rahman Gamil (Architecture), Eng. Shorouk M. Soliman (Civil), Eng. Ahmed Mahdi (Civil), Eng. Yasser M. Safan (Mechatronics), students: Ahmed Abdel Fattah, Mirna Mohamed, Mohamed Ahmed, Mostafa Abdel Aziz, Mostafa Soliman, Nourhan Abdel Hamid, Omnia Ali, and worker: 3am Soliman.

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