Build House Without Nails or Screws Using Brikawood Interlocking Wooden Bricks

In the present era of technology, most people may be fascinated by 3D printed houses and skyscrapers but there are also many who dream of a rustic wooden house in the middle of a forest. If you have a penchant for the latter, French startup Brikawood has got something interesting for you.

Brikawood has come up with LEGO-inspired wooden bricks featuring an innovative interlocking design. The bricks can be stacked up in staggered rows one over the other without screws or nails. A rubber hammer is used to mount bricks in dedicated slots and create large load-bearing walls of a house.

What is Brikawood?

Brikawood is the brainchild of engineer Alain Romero who researched for years to develop the rare construction material with assistance from Patricia Dutreux. In their effort to simplify construction of passive, ecological and modular habitats, they have designed interlocking wooden bricks that can be assembled without any nails or glue.

Made of sustainably sourced wood, these bricks work similar to traditional toy Lincoln logs consisting of miniature logs used by children to make tiny forts.

How Brikawood Interlocking Wooden Bricks Work?

Each Brikawood brick comprises four wooden elements – two lateral flanges and two transverse spacers in dovetail shape – assembled with interlocking elements, thus giving a mechanical rigidity to the structure.

The wooden bricks assemble into breathable walls and further into passive houses. The walls get structural rigidity from self-tightening of bricks. The hollow parts in the wall are filled with wood chips, known to be good thermal insulators.

Also Read: 40+ Most Popular Tiny Houses on Wheels of All Time 

How Strong is a Brikawood Brick?

This LEGO-like wooden brick eases the task of building your own wooden house. With its help, you can build a modular, energy-efficient house easily. Brikawood says, bricks are held together by the spacers which give the wall mechanical consistency and dimensional stability. The company claims its wall kit is anti-sysmic.

What is a Brikawood Passive House?

Brikawood bricks can be used to build contemporary wooden houses that sport wood chips insulation, glazed windows, heat recovery ventilation, draught-proof envelope, and other ecological features. They are claimed to consume less energy than most existing buildings. It means lesser energy bills for maintaining a pleasant temperature all year round.

Like with any construction process; when building a house or cabin with Brikawood interlocking wooden bricks, you need to construct the base first. You have the choice to choose between Techno Pieux and concrete foundations.

How Much Does Brikawood Cost

The price for Brikawood – available in France – starts at €1,000 (about $1,050) per square meter for the smallest studio kit. So the 20-square meter studio will cost about $20,000. There are four types of wooden passive house kits. The price range depends upon the model and its size. Check out more details below:

For customers inquiring from outside France, the Brikawood team says:

At the moment we supply our kit houses abroad only if the person is able to build it himself. We want to implement in the form of a marketing and manufacturing license, the distribution of our KIT MAISON system, in every country including yours. Make our homes more accessible to larger numbers. With teams of setters, shipping a kit means that the person is able to mount (a professional).

To sell our kits, we need complete training in France within our company, this training is free, only the fee accommodation are your responsibility. Our houses are made with wooden bricks with a thickness of 250 mm price is €950 ($1005.03), without transport and without assembly.

Complete supplies of materials. (walls roofing windows door, electricity, plumbing, parquet) The technical ducts (electrical and plumbing are passed inside our bricks) The studio kits are made with the 160 series a powerful wooden brick, but less wide at a price of €750  per m2 ($799.89) all supplies included (walls roof windows door, electricity, plumbing, parquet).

Our constructive principle meets all the standards in force, RT 2012 and 2020. Feasibility tests were carried out, earthquake resistant, anticyclonic. Recognized house passive (constant temperature between 19 and 21 ° the winter) the summer temperature does not exceed the 24 ° even if outside the temperature approaches the 40 °.

The wood used is a Class 3 (Douglas fir) not need treatment only in some countries or a fungicide will have to be applied. Only a hard linseed oil will be applied (30 years warranty without further application). (source)