When our ancestors stopped building their log homes, they fell back on lumber made in sawmills. “How is it that we use iPhones when our houses are still made the same way as 100 years ago?” wondered Marco Tremblay. It is this reflection that led to the birth of OSBlock, a little over a year ago.
The entrepreneur from Saint-Henri-de-Taillon, in Lac-Saint-Jean, took five years to design his construction modules, which are unique in the world – an international patent application has been filed. Its product is now available in more than 100 hardware stores in Quebec and it is preparing to take Mexico by storm, which is continuing its reconstruction efforts following the two earthquakes of September 2017.
It is the ease of installation of the OSBLock modules which explains their success. Two layers of polystyrene foam are glued on either side of a core made up of four layers of oriented wood slat panels cut into strips 12 in. wide by 8 ft. long. The modules are then nested together using a polymer anchoring system that is both simple and ingenious. Electricity and plumbing can also be installed in a jiffy.
“It hardly takes any equipment to install OSBlocks,” says Marco Tremblay, who has been active in the construction industry for over 30 years.
“It’s definitely faster. A contractor normally had two weeks to assemble a house, it will take him three times less time with OSBlocks, and sometimes even less.
It’s also an ideal product for self-builders: “You can’t go wrong,” assures Mr. Tremblay. The only possible error occurs if the level of the corner posts is not respected. Otherwise, it’s child’s play.
This results in a perfectly watertight and solid building – it can withstand earthquakes. “It’s the most insulating building material on the market,” says Marco Tremblay. The average of a conventional wall is R12, we have R32 at all points, without any thermal bridge. There is no acoustic bridge either, while the massive central part cuts the ambient sound.
At less than 40 kg each, the modules are not only easily manoeuvrable, but can also be easily routed into otherwise difficult to reach areas.
Schools and homes in Mexico
Marco Tremblay does not want to cut corners, however. He has voluntarily chosen to avoid Montreal for the moment because he finds it easier to settle quietly in the region – “it’s to better prove ourselves, we want to show that it works”, suggests the entrepreneur. However, this does not prevent him from thinking big. He was also in Mexico City when La Presse reached him on the phone. “I started to develop my contacts in Mexico three years ago, he explains. Following the 2017 earthquakes, the Mexican government began looking for solutions. In October, we went to the biggest housing exhibition in Latin America, Expo CIHAC, and it was from there that everything tumbled down.”
OSBlock has since signed multi-million dollar contracts for the reconstruction of 900 schools as well as several thousand homes. Teams from Quebec will go to Mexico starting in April to provide training to Mexican workers. “We know that OSBlock modules are appropriate for emerging countries, where houses are built with concrete blocks,” says Mr. Tremblay. But we want to take it step by step. We have to find the right solutions.”
To meet growing demand, OSBlock plans to build a factory in Mexico. But first we want to consolidate the Quebec market with a new plant in Lac-Saint-Jean – construction is scheduled for the fall. The plan is to build the equivalent of 25 houses every day.
“It is constantly rising in Quebec, so we keep part of our production for Quebec. We were born here and we don’t want to neglect our own market, says Marco Tremblay. But it is sure that it will become big, it is a question of time.
The OSBlock modules, sold at $9.95 per sq. ft., are made up of a core made of panels of oriented wood strips, assembled from forest residues. However, the panels used are of superior grade in order to resist water and insects, and to offer good flame resistance.