How a Morocco-based company is reviving old construction traditions to fight climate change

Amid the alarming figures of construction-driven pollution, Eco-Tabinnayt, an eco friendly construction company revived the concept of clay bricks, an ancient technique that has been developed and reinforced by the Marrakech-based initiative.

According to new research by construction blog Bimhow, the construction sector contributes to 23% of air pollution, 50% of the climate change, 40% of drinking water pollution, and 50% of landfill wastes.

Around half of all non-renewable resources mankind consumes are used in construction, making it one of the least sustainable industries in the world, according to a research by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The Marrakech-based company, which has been established in 2016, aims to create environmentally low-impact homes, designed and built using materials and technology that reduces its carbon footprint and lowers its energy needs.

Relying on the ancient techniques of using mud and straws in construction, Eco-Tabinnayt (eco construction) created eco bricks, made mostly of clay (80-85 percent), in addition to lime (10-15 percent) and cement (3 percent).

“After a year of experiments and tests, on collaboration with University of Lausanne, around the traditional bricks in Morocco, India and Bangladesh, we reached this composition that grants the same strength as the known bricks,” said Karim Zein, founder of the company, in his interview with Hespress Eng.

The walls built by Eco-Tabinnayt’s bricks differ from conventional walls by their thickness (50 cm). They compare in performance to double walls (high-end) incorporating thermal insulation.

They offer natural hygrometric regulation, as well as good thermal resistance as the bricks respond ideally to large temperature differences between seasons and between day and night.

“They preserve high temperature inside the house, during winter, and they cool the indoor during hot temperature, exactly like old mud houses,” said Zein.
The Lebanese German businessman, Karim Zein, left Lebanon with his family to Syria then to Switzerland, amid the horrors of the Lebanese civil war.

At 18 years old, Zein visited Morocco. Fascinated by the nature and the good-tempered society, the young Lebanese decided to settle in the North African country.

“I fell in Love with Morocco, the first time I visited it. They say in Arabic, the neighbor before the house. I met then a nice group of young Moroccans. I loved the company and I decided to buy a deserted land near Ourika,” said Zein.

Zein, who presents himself as “ecologist down to the fingertips,” spent his early career working with ministries and NGOs, around the world, in order to raise awareness about climate change and enhance the eco-friendly strategies inside companies.

Today, Zein came back to his land in Ourrika, where he established Bab Zouina, a traditional eco friendly Riad built with 100 000 eco friendly bricks.

“Bab Zouina was one of the first projects that Eco-Tabinnayt worked on. Now our construction company collaborates with yoga centers and other ecological institutions,” said Zein.

The company provides its services, from eco bricks, to helping its clients in constructing buildings using materials and energy sources in ways meeting sustainability needs, for “reasonable prices,” and “detailed invoices,” according to Eco-Tabinnayt’s owner.