👷RENCO's Lego-stacking system is creating a new way to build

A new construction material of renewable composites meets the demand for greener, more durable construction.

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Stacked, sealed, delivered: Watch our On Site video with Miami-based RENCO to see their patented modular construction in action. 

Join the Academic Leaders Council to launch community-wide talent development goals on Feb. 22nd at Miami Dade College by registering here. 

The equivalent of another New York City will need to be built every month over the next four decades to accommodate global massive urban expansion. This rapid growth comes at a cost: the built environment is responsible for about a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming and climate change. 

Miami-based RENCO USA has a new building material that can start to bend that trajectory. “They say the greenest building you can build is the one you don’t have to build,” said managing director Patrick Murphy in our latest On Site video series. “I think there's an opportunity for the world to do better with the way we build.” 

The construction company has created a modular system made up entirely of recycled materials that are not only better for the environment but are also billed as being stronger, easier, and faster to build than traditional concrete. Watch here for how that looks. 

LEGO-STACKING SYSTEM

RENCO stands for renewable composites, which includes recycled glass, plastic calcite, and a resin that holds it all together. These massive Lego-looking building blocks weigh just eight pounds and have been approved and patented as a fourth way to build – beyond wood, metal, and concrete. 

“This material is brand new,” Murphy said. “It's stronger. It's lighter. It's faster. It's much greener and more durable than any comparable product.” 

Developers and architects come up with a design and send it to RENCO to create an ideal block configuration. Within hours, they provide a cost and delivery time (their factory in Jupiter is set to open in the coming weeks). When the blocks arrive on site, workers can set them up using color-coded plans. No cranes or other heavy equipment is needed. The blocks are stacked on top of each other and then sealed with glue and a rubber mallet. Since they are made out of a mold, the blocks are configured to the designed plans, Murphy said. Windows and doors fit exactly as designed – no extra measuring needed. 

He emphasized that by using this system, buildings can be built in half the amount of time, if not faster, than using traditional concrete. 

THE BETA TEST

The Lakewood Village Apartment complex in Palm Beach County consists of three-story buildings in a multitude of colors. The units have high ceilings and spacious closets. 

But the renters may not be aware that the building is not made out of traditional construction materials such as concrete and rebar. Instead, the 96 units were constructed fully out of RENCO’s newest material. 

This was the “beta case that we wanted to learn and see this new material in use in action here in South Florida,” Murphy said. 

To get a new building material approved, it took RENCO about ten years to go through over 440 independent certified labs to get approval. They also had to write a building code and then test that code up against 175mph hurricane-strength winds (Murphy said they reached 275mph in testing without failure). They have also done seismic and fire testing; the material did not have degradation after a water test; and it won’t mold or rust. Plus, without rebar or wood in the mix, termites won’t get to it. 

RENCO gives its buildings a 250-year lifespan, considerably higher than buildings made out of wood (25 years) or concrete (40 years). 

THE MANHOLE COVER INSPIRATION

RENCO USA is a spin-off of the family business, Coastal Construction, which constructs high-rises and other buildings across Florida. 

More than a decade ago in Turkey, there was a spike in thefts of manhole covers stolen for scrap metal. One man was watching his son play with Legos one day and decided to invent a strong material in a similar shape that could replace the metal and steel sewer covers. RENCO Co-Founder Engin Yesil read about the invention in the newspaper and partnered with him in 2010, introducing it later to Coastal’s Tom Murphy (Patrick’s father) who decided to incorporate it into his future construction goals.

When introduced to this new material, Murphy explained, they decided to do some independent testing and analyze it for themselves. 

“Every test we did, we were more and more impressed,” he said. Now about 14 years into their journey, RENCO has all the approvals necessary to build throughout the United States and most of the world. RENCO remains a completely standalone business from Coastal. 

A GREENER WAY TO BUILD

Concrete causes up to eight percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. If the cement industry were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter in the world. 

“We can do better,” Murphy said of how we continue to build. 

An independent analysis of a carbon footprint study commissioned by RENCO found that its new material is about 98% more green than concrete and 60% more green than wood frame construction.

There hasn’t been a new way to build in more than a century. “We are certainly bullish and optimistic that this will start to replace some of the traditional means that are out there,” Murphy said.

“We’re due for a really big change and really big innovation.” 

JOIN US 

On Thursday, join the Academic Leaders Council as they launch their community-wide talent development goals, designed to make Miami the most uniquely diverse, skilled regional workforce in the Western Hemisphere. Register here for the event at Miami Dade College.

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— Suzette