What is Drystack?
Drystack is a solution for circular building with minimal CO2 emission. It is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. You can compare it to the dry stone / dry stack stone technique that was traditionally used for the boundaries of fields and churchyards, or as retaining walls for terracing across Europe.
Drystack B.V. in The Netherlands however, takes this old technique into the 21st century by introducing five Drystack® elements with which you can build walls without mortar.
All stone bonds are possible with Drystack. Not only with traditional building specifications but also with innovative designs. Everything you design can be realised: round walls, wavy facades, oblique patterns, diagonal lines, crosses, protruding parts and much more!
You can easily calculate how many DS WasteBasedBricks® and other DS elements are needed.
Hardly any residual waste, no risks.
StoneCycling X Drystack
At StoneCyling we’ve always found waste beautiful. That is why we’re extra proud of our collaboration with Drystack! Now we can show off the beauty of our WasteBasedBricks® even more.
No longer will our sustainable bricks be ‘hidden’ by mortar, or become unsuitable for re-use after using an adhesive for montage: Drystack allows you to completely dismantle walls after a certain period of time, making your building completely circular.
Where did the concept of Drystacking come from?
The Netherlands is a country of bricks. A timeless, beautiful and unique product that has a long lifespan. Around 800 million bricks are processed in the country annually, of which 30% are exported to countries such as England, Belgium, Denmark and Germany.
The demand is huge, but there are not enough skilled workers to apply these products since the number of masons dropped by more than 60% in the last 30 years.
Working with mortar is difficult. You’re dependent on weather conditions and the craftsmanship of the mason, so it’s not a task just anyone can pick up.
And at the same time, mortar causes CO2 emissions and in combination with brick, it becomes rubble that cannot be recycled. Prefab glued stone strips are also not a circular solution.
This is how founder Dennis Deen got the idea for Drystack. No mortar, no need for skilled workers. Yet a quality result, while at the same time allowing for complex bonds and patterns.
Drystack Wall Assembly
In this video, you can see a short introduction video to the implementation of the Drystack system:
Is working with Drystack and WasteBasedBricks® safe?
Drystack has been extensively tested by the best Dutch and European organisations. These include fire safety, pressure, shear forces, bending forces, frost/thaw and thermal shock tests.
Extensive tests at, among others, Efectis, KIWA, DTI Denmark and Adviesbureau Hageman show that Drystack® walls are 100% solid. In The Netherlands, Drystack is fully certified.
Is working with Drystack sustainable?
In comparison to all alternatives, such as traditional masonry, Drystack is the most CO2 friendly. No mortar is needed! The method is also circular since the elements can be used again as a whole or in part in new projects.
The sustainability of the polyamide (PA) in this application is solid. It cannot be affected chemically by water and UV damage can also not occur.
Who can work with Drystack and WasteBasedBricks®?
In order to work with the WasteBasedBricks and Drystack combination, you have to get certified at the “Drystack Academy”, which takes about 1-2 days. You will receive a certificate with a unique number, giving you a warranty. Dry stacking a wall is easy and fun. It does not require skilled masons to stack a solid wall.
Moving towards circular construction
Drystack is a new method for an artisanal product. How the digital camera allowed the everyday user without a darkroom to become a photographer, Drystack allows non-skilled workers to realise their own masonry projects.
With this patented circular building system you can build prefab or on location at lightning speed with bricks – WasteBasedBricks, of course!
There are big wins to be made in expanding the principle of demountable buildings to more permanent, high-quality architectural developments. We believe that circular construction is the future and our collaboration with Drystack is another step in the right direction.
Are you interested in the Drystack system? We are looking for architects and developers who are keen to apply this system in The Netherlands with us. Make sure to reach out if you’d like to talk further.
