Green Rock Rebuilds Homes With LEGO Bricks Made From Gaza’s Rubble

In Gaza, Israeli attacks have destroyed or damaged over 90% of homes and displaced more than 90% of the population. The destruction has created over 60 million tonnes of rubble - which is equivalent to 10 Great Pyramid of Gizas. Green Rock, a community initiative in Gaza, is turning that rubble into bricks to build temporary homes. They are developing a process that allows displaced families to take the remains of their destroyed houses and construct new ones.

In a small workshop in Gaza, Green Rock founder Suleiman Abu Hasnineh leads the operation. He has recruited a team of displaced men to produce ‘LEGO’ bricks that do, in fact, look like LEGOs. And unlike most bricks, these are cement-free.

Green Rock found a way around the cement supply blockade by creating a brick formula that doesn’t require it. Traditional bricks are typically made with around 10% concrete, making cement essential for strength and durability. But beyond the shortage entering Gaza, cement construction is costly, time-consuming, and environmentally harmful.

Instead, the team uses the Rammed Earth Technique - an ancient method that compresses natural materials like sand, silt, and gravel mixed with water into solid forms.

Replacing cement with natural materials reduces construction costs by up to 60%, since the bricks don’t need plastering or finishing. These new bricks are also eco-friendly, sustainable, and improve thermal insulation.

So how are these LEGO-style bricks made? In short, the team crushes rubble by hand, removes impurities, and sifts the material into a manual metal machine that molds the rubble-soil mixture into a single brick with two large holes - designed to run electricity and water lines through.

Given the near-total destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, Green Rock is struggling to maintain the electricity, materials, and funding needed for production. They are currently raising money to complete their first prototype so they can begin housing families in temporary shelters as soon as possible.

You can support their mission through their GoFundMe.