A Professor of Architecture, Adedeji Daramola, has advocated the use of locally-made Stabilised Earth Bricks (SED) by the building construction to ensure durability of structures in the society.
Daramola, who is also the Rector of Redeemers’ College of Technology and Management (RECTEM) in Mowe, Ogun state, spoke in Lagos recently.
He described the stabilised earth bricks as a mixture of laterite or natural soil with some little quantity of cement to make them stronger than the usual blocks.
“Building is a capital intensive project; but the fact is that we can still achieve durable buildings by using local materials. We have a lot of local bricks, now called stabilised earth bricks, which look stronger after production,” he said.
Daramola said buildings built with stabilised earth bricks had immense advantages for their inhabitants, adding that they were capable of absorbing the atmospheric moisture, and creating a healthy environment for their occupants.
He said such bricks serve as bullet proofs for the buildings they were used to construct, stating further that when earth bricks were used, different forms of reinforcements such as cement blocks, concrete flooring, iron rods and others would no longer be required.
“The mode of production of solid earth bricks is simple; one does not have to wait till the bricks are dried before using them for construction. You can put up your buildings without any form of reinforcement when builders use the stabilised earth bricks; these bricks are bullet proof,” Daramola said.
