More than 226 million people are affected by some type of disaster every year in various dimensions of human life, both in the short and long term. In this context, housing provision plays a leading role when it comes to basic needs and the choice of construction technologies and materials are determinant for a well-succeeded housing provision process. This work aims to analyze the viability of reinforced masonry technology with cement-stabilized compressed earth blocks as an alternative for the (re)construction process in situations that involve disaster risk reduction (DRR). To address this issue, a discussion from the literature and the main results obtained during the investigations carried out within the scope of the Simple Housing Solution (SHS) Project are presented. In the sequence, analyses are performed under United Nations Development Program/International Recovery Platform sustainability recommendations: environmental, technical, financial and socio-organizational aspects. It is concluded that the technology of Compressed Earth Blocks (CEBs) reinforced structural masonry has a high potential to be successfully applied in DRR situations, especially when associated with the community construction system in a joint effort.

A última revisão da NBR 6118 (ABNT, 2014) alterou a resistência característica a compressão (fck) mínima do concreto de 15 MPa para 20 MPa. Mesmo assim, na prática de projetos de fundações, ainda é comum que se utilize valores de fck inferiores ao mínimo exigido em norma (e.g: 18 MPa). Nesse contexto foram moldados corpos de prova de concreto submetidos a cinco diferentes processos de cura: tanque com água (referência), ao ar e enterrados em solos com diferentes permeabilidades. Os valores encontrados para o fck dos CP’s curados ao ar foram os menores encontrados, enquanto os CP’s curados no tanque com água obtiveram os maiores valores de fck. Para os demais ambientes de cura os valores do fck variaram de acordo com a permeabilidade do solo, sendo maiores para os solos com menor permeabilidade.

Among the threats capable of causing disasters, earthquakes and hurricanes are those that most significantly impact the structures of buildings. This collaboration between UFRJ (Brazil) and UA (Portugal) aims to develop a house model that is both earthquake- and hurricane-resistant, within a specific range of magnitude to be determined, utilizing straightforward, affordable, and eco-friendly construction methods. SHS-Multirisk was developed under two phases. The first one carried out the design of the SHS-Multirisk 1.0 house model and the second phase comprised the preliminary conception of the SHS-Multirisk 2.0 architecture integrated with structural panels. This paper focuses on presenting the comprehensive research, development, and innovation (R&D&I) process of compressed earth block-reinforced masonry panels and the preliminary evaluation of their technical feasibility to be applied in SHS-Multirisk 2.0 house models. The steps of the process were explored in detail throughout process implementation, which revealed successive multi- and interdisciplinary challenges.

Objective: The aim of this research is to assess the feasibility of incorporating processed COVID-19 masks into Compressed Earth Blocks (CEBs), with the goal of providing a sustainable disposal solution for these materials. Theoretical Framework: This section presents the concepts of soil-cement mixtures and polypropylene reinforcement, providing a solid foundation for understanding the context of the research. Method: The experimental methodology involved processing polypropylene masks and manufacturing CEBs. The compressive strength of the CEBs produced with and without masks was tested. Results and Discussion: The masks were processed using thermal and mechanical energy, resulting in fragments that were compatible with granular particles. Furthermore, the compressive strength of the CEBs was not significantly affected. Research Implications: The practical implications of this research are related to the environmentally correct disposal of these masks, contributing to various Sustainable Development Goals. Originality/Value: The use of processed COVID-19 masks in compressed earth blocks is novel and promising. From a technical perspective, it is noteworthy that there was no loss of compressive strength. From an environmental perspective, the processed masks were incorporated into a construction material widely used in various types of construction.