Innovative Idea: Save Water Brick

Bricks were one of the first man-made building materials materials (the oldest bricks made from mud have been dated at about 7500 BC). Throughout the centuries, the method for manufacturing has evolved, but at it's most basic level, a brick is a mixture of silica, clay, lime, iron oxide and magnesia fired @ 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Designer Jin -Young Yoon took a look at one of the oldest building materials and came up with the idea of the Save Water Brick.

The Save Water Brick is made from recycled plastic and decomposed leaves.The backside of the brick has funnels designed to direct water run off to nearby landscaping or to a underground storage tanks.

The Save Water Brick would definitely have a positive impact on the environment in other ways than water conservation, it would divert waste from landfills & support markets for recycled content products.

This is an innovative idea, but there are still some questions that need to be answered:

 How exactly will it be manufactured? Will it use less energy to produce than bricks on the market today (bricks  have an energy intensive process = more CO2 emissions)?  Bricks are relatively inexpensive to produce (a brick is typically made of silica, clay, lime, iron oxide and magnesia), how will the Save Water Brick compare in cost? And most importantly, how does the performance of the Save Water Brick compare to regular bricks?

I am interested in seeing how this product develops and if it will be released on the market.  Until then, I hope Yoon keeps cranking out the great ideas.