There's a new business in town whose name is mud.
That's Mud Bricks
Australia - which specializes im building with blocks made
from local soil.
Founder Natalie Dixon reckons that the red soil of central
Australia has a perfect consistency and colour for making
bricks.
Ms Dixon has relocated to Alice Springs from Darwin because
of the quality of the soil.
So is mud a good Alternative to concrete bricks?
According to Ms Dixon, it's cheaper, more environmentally
friendly, more durable and blends well with the surrounding
countryside.
"A lot of chemicals inside buildings cannot escape through
concrete and will remain inside forever and a day. With mud-brick
building, this doesn't happen.
"Aesthetically, it blends in beautifully with the landscape
of Alice Springs.
"It's also very quickly made, costs less than concrete
and lasts forever."
Mudbricks Australia was set up in 1999 and is busy with various
projects.
Ms Dixon and a team of five are currently
completing 6500 hand made bricks for various tourist facilities
at Yulara.
Ms Dixon also designed a mud brick tourist cabin and dining
hall at Ooramina Homestead, 30 km from Alice Springs.
The team uses a transportable hydraulic mud brick-making machine
to produce bricks.
Ms Dixon also offers an architectural drafting service and
is interested in going out to Aboriginal communities to train
people in making bricks to build their homes.
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