
A 96-unit apartment complex built with Lego-style, snap-together blocks has opened its doors to residents in Palm Springs, Florida.
It was put up by a small crew of unskilled workers armed only with mallets and glue guns. Renco USA is the company behind the Lego-style blocks.
Executive Patrick Murphy tells this month’s 21CC Podcast how the firm did it, and why it’s not like Katerra.
[The story starts at 9 minutes, 51 seconds – ed.]
The blocks are made from recycled plastic and glass fibre. Glued together, they form a monolithic structure that is impervious to water, mould and termites, and can withstand 250mph winds.
The material is lighter and stronger than concrete, and making the blocks produces a tiny fraction of the emissions from concrete.

Renco USA spent 10 years in testing, research and development.
In October, it raised $18m in its first funding round to build a US factory with a view to making the system available across the country.
Catch up with previous episodes of the 21CC podcast.
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