More than just clay-based bricks blocks, this Colorado company has developed well engineered structural walls that conceal mechanicals, require almost no maintenance and roll with the climate.
If you’re like many builders and architects, you probably think of earth-based construction as a very narrow and specific niche—a product that requires intense and dedicated hand labor to achieve its organic good looks.
This custom home in Longmont, Colorado features EcoBlox earthen walls that outperform wood framing in this region.
But thanks to a lot of passion, and over 20 years of experience of both international and U.S. experience in the field, a Colorado entrepreneur is changing that perception. Lisa Morey has developed a manufacturing process to create stable, reliable earthen blocks at factory speed.
Lisa Morey, CEO of Nova Terra.
Morey, founder and CEO of Nova Terra EcoBlox (formerly Colorado Earth), describes the system as “low-carbon mass-wall construction.” Her approach blends ancient building principles with next-generation engineering:
EcoBlox are above grade products only, but they can be either structural or used as a veneer. “They are like concrete blocks, but with a lower compressive strength,” Morey explains. “Then we give it good boots and a hat. It’s not new technology. It’s a time-tested technique that’s been done in arid climates over 10,000 years.”
Morey’s interest in resilient, low-impact materials began while studying construction engineering at North Carolina State University. She then went on to study architectural design in New Zealand, where she first encountered earthen construction.
“A local builder was working on mud brick homes,” she explains. “So I joined his team, and soon realized the benefits and beauty of natural building methods, something I hadn’t learned or been exposed to in my studies. When I returned to the US in the early 2000s, I launched an adobe brick manufacturing and design firm, which has evolved to Nova Terra today.
Her intent was to re-establish and validate the practice of earthen construction here as “mass-wall building for the modern climate.” A Castle Rock residence built with EcoBlox drew national attention for its steady interior temperatures and minimal energy use. Now, she’s positioning EcoBlox as a credible, scalable alternative to conventional construction across the U.S.
From Soil to Structure
EcoBlox are manufactured outside Denver, Colorado, using sand and clay fines reclaimed from a local quarry’s overburden — material that would otherwise be waste. The soil is screened, mixed with roughly 3-5% Portland Limestone Cement, then compressed into sturdy blocks measuring six by twelve inches (Here’s the technical data).
This combination yields a block with a compressive strength of about 1,000 psi and a thermal conductivity of roughly 0.35 W/mK — enough to perform as both structure and thermal mass. The clay is serving as a binder and the small percentage of stabilizer locks in durability while allowing the walls to “breathe,” a key distinction from Portland-cement masonry. By comparison, a concrete block (CMU) typically has about 1,900 psi strength.
Morey emphasizes the carbon reduction story as much as the engineering. The blocks are unfired, reducing the energy required to produce them and minimal industrial processing is needed, compared with concrete and fired bricks. The resilience to fire, moisture, and time is the value proposition that brings the client towards the product. But it is the lived experience of thermal comfort, healthy air quality, and quiet interior spaces from external noise and wind that has Morey’s clients loving their homes.
Some Assembly Required
Building with EcoBlox is essentially masonry, but with a few distinct reinforcing and insulating details. It also requires more coordination and interplay between trades. For example, when wiring, boxes are set in as the blocks go up, and conduit runs in the gap between the courses.
That central cavity becomes the home for electrical wiring, while plumbing is placed in a furred out wall for ease of access. HVAC systems are typically radiant floors or compact heat pumps. “Our clients never use forced-air HVAC systems,” she notes. “They tend to either go with radiant heat in the floor or closed-loop heat pumps. These systems support the properties of thermal mass, where heat is stored in the building and released slowly during the day. Additionally we find the relative humidity of EcoBlox homes stay at around 45%, which supports human health, and is key in this dry climate.”
Every fourth course of EcoBlox includes a steel grid (called Durawall) that enhances structural shear strength. Holes in the blocks with rebar are filled with grout, or otherwise filled with adobe mortar.
Around windows and doors, wood or steel headers provide structure, and a reinforced, continuous, concrete bond beam supports the floor and walls for a second story. The top of the wall typically carries an LVL timber top plate that is as wide as the wall, where roof trusses or rafters are attached. Corners can be rounded and shaped by hand with mesh and trowel, or finished with sharp lines . There is no need for drywall or paint, siding or housewrap.
After mechanicals are placed, the core of the wall is filled with perlite, a lightweight volcanic mineral that insulates and slows heat transfer. “We’ve just found it works the best for our application,” she says. “It spreads and fills easily, and finds voids on its own.” However any loose-fill insulation, such as cellulose, could be used.
For builders accustomed to standard framing, the workflow might be described as more dynamic. Trades often need to be working at the same time, but checklists get done in duplicate or triplicate. “We’re really focused on de-risking this in the contractor’s mind,” Morey says. “There’s maybe a little more upfront learning curve, but then it flows. It’s the mason’s craft.” That’s another takeaway. The mason is really the key to keeping jobs on schedule.
Counting Blox
Morey has experience with roughly 70 adobe and EcoBlox projects. “Our job types range from large custom homes with elevators to smaller DIY builds,” Morey notes. ”We recently worked with a general contractor who has an owner-builder program (through HomeWrights, based in Colorado),” she adds. “We wear many hats, working primarily with GCs and masons, but we have also supported many owner-builders.”
At present, the company’s plant can turn out about 30,000 blocks per month — enough for two sizable homes, each using around 15,000 units. A typical EcoBlox wall includes:
Two wythes of 6-inch earthen block with a 3-inch insulated cavity
Wire reinforcement every fourth course
A poured bond beam at the top or between floors
7/8-inch lime plaster exterior finish applied directly to EcoBlox
Optional interior finish depending on preferences – typically lime or clay-based finish or appropriate vapor-open sealer
Optional veneer detailing for regional styles
The result, Morey says, is “a sandwich effect” — structure, insulation, and finish unified into one monolithic wall. She adds a small personal tradition to each project: “To carry forward a masonry tradition, I put a coin in the mortar of one of the blocks during construction to give good luck to the owners and those involved in the build.”
An earth block home doesn’t have to live alone in the desert. This project fits the neighborhood aesthetic.
Why Builders and Architects Are Paying Attention
EcoBlox appeal to a particular mix of pragmatism and principle.
A few selling points:
Durability and fire resistance: Lime-stabilized earth simply doesn’t burn, making it attractive in wildfire-prone areas.
Thermal stability: The high-mass wall smooths temperature swings and stores heat, as proven in monitored case studies.
Low embodied carbon: Using quarry overburden reduces extraction and transport emissions.
Sound insulation: Tests show up to an 8 dB reduction in outside noise, when compared with typical framing.
Overlapping Trade Timelines
Morey says one key to moving EcoBlox deeper into the mainstream is to get trades on board, so that they understand how to coordinate their efforts as walls go up. “We find the majority of issues in construction happen in the connections between the trades, so when the trades have overlap, communicate, and work together, this reduces the amount of problems that occur on-site”, Morey says.
“They need to accurately plan plumbing and electrical runs before the walls are set,” she notes. “These walls are heavy and permanent, so we make sure to get everything right the first time.”
To ease the initial experience with EcoBlox, Nova Terra provides training and detailed guides to contractors. The goal, Morey says, is to make earthen masonry “as straightforward and predictable as laying block—just with a better material.”
Scaling production is the next step. Morey envisions regional micro-plants that can source local soils and reduce shipping costs. The company is also collaborating with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to test phase-change materials that could further improve thermal regulation (NREL research).
Morey notes that EcoBlox offer a strong value proposition for both builders and architects, an appeal that is both aesthetic and pragmatic:
Superior resilience: low embodied carbon, fire-proof, low- to no-maintenance
Comfortable to live in: Quiet, healthy, comfortable, and low cost to own
Short learning curve: EcoBlox assemblies are relatively simple and straightforward, quickly adapted by pros in the field.
Natural comfort: Clients love the stunning finish of a clay-block home, with its natural textures, shadings and mass effect climate control.
Morey talks passionately about how her system raises the bar for both building pros and their clients. “The type of homes we build matters for future generations,” she says. “Why not choose materials for reasons that actually matter: lower embodied carbon, inherent fire resistance, and walls that stay stable through the kinds of temperature and humidity swings that challenge lighter assemblies?”
“The same house you build today will perform just as well decades later,” she continues, “with quiet rooms, slow temperature swings indoors, and minimal maintenance. Clients can also save on insurance costs. The whole project can be constructed with far less fuss over time than other, multi-layered wall systems.”
Veteran journalist Matt Power has reported on innovation and sustainability in housing for nearly three decades. An award-winning writer, editor, and filmmaker, he has a long history of asking hard questions and adding depth and context as he unfolds complex issues.
Earth Mover
More than just clay-based bricks blocks, this Colorado company has developed well engineered structural walls that conceal mechanicals, require almost no maintenance and roll with the climate.
If you’re like many builders and architects, you probably think of earth-based construction as a very narrow and specific niche—a product that requires intense and dedicated hand labor to achieve its organic good looks.
This custom home in Longmont, Colorado features EcoBlox earthen walls that outperform wood framing in this region.
But thanks to a lot of passion, and over 20 years of experience of both international and U.S. experience in the field, a Colorado entrepreneur is changing that perception. Lisa Morey has developed a manufacturing process to create stable, reliable earthen blocks at factory speed.
Lisa Morey, CEO of Nova Terra.
Morey, founder and CEO of Nova Terra EcoBlox (formerly Colorado Earth), describes the system as “low-carbon mass-wall construction.” Her approach blends ancient building principles with next-generation engineering:
EcoBlox are above grade products only, but they can be either structural or used as a veneer. “They are like concrete blocks, but with a lower compressive strength,” Morey explains. “Then we give it good boots and a hat. It’s not new technology. It’s a time-tested technique that’s been done in arid climates over 10,000 years.”
Morey’s interest in resilient, low-impact materials began while studying construction engineering at North Carolina State University. She then went on to study architectural design in New Zealand, where she first encountered earthen construction.
“A local builder was working on mud brick homes,” she explains. “So I joined his team, and soon realized the benefits and beauty of natural building methods, something I hadn’t learned or been exposed to in my studies. When I returned to the US in the early 2000s, I launched an adobe brick manufacturing and design firm, which has evolved to Nova Terra today.
Her intent was to re-establish and validate the practice of earthen construction here as “mass-wall building for the modern climate.” A Castle Rock residence built with EcoBlox drew national attention for its steady interior temperatures and minimal energy use. Now, she’s positioning EcoBlox as a credible, scalable alternative to conventional construction across the U.S.
From Soil to Structure
EcoBlox are manufactured outside Denver, Colorado, using sand and clay fines reclaimed from a local quarry’s overburden — material that would otherwise be waste. The soil is screened, mixed with roughly 3-5% Portland Limestone Cement, then compressed into sturdy blocks measuring six by twelve inches (Here’s the technical data).
This combination yields a block with a compressive strength of about 1,000 psi and a thermal conductivity of roughly 0.35 W/mK — enough to perform as both structure and thermal mass. The clay is serving as a binder and the small percentage of stabilizer locks in durability while allowing the walls to “breathe,” a key distinction from Portland-cement masonry. By comparison, a concrete block (CMU) typically has about 1,900 psi strength.
Morey emphasizes the carbon reduction story as much as the engineering. The blocks are unfired, reducing the energy required to produce them and minimal industrial processing is needed, compared with concrete and fired bricks. The resilience to fire, moisture, and time is the value proposition that brings the client towards the product. But it is the lived experience of thermal comfort, healthy air quality, and quiet interior spaces from external noise and wind that has Morey’s clients loving their homes.
Some Assembly Required
Building with EcoBlox is essentially masonry, but with a few distinct reinforcing and insulating details. It also requires more coordination and interplay between trades. For example, when wiring, boxes are set in as the blocks go up, and conduit runs in the gap between the courses.
That central cavity becomes the home for electrical wiring, while plumbing is placed in a furred out wall for ease of access. HVAC systems are typically radiant floors or compact heat pumps. “Our clients never use forced-air HVAC systems,” she notes. “They tend to either go with radiant heat in the floor or closed-loop heat pumps. These systems support the properties of thermal mass, where heat is stored in the building and released slowly during the day. Additionally we find the relative humidity of EcoBlox homes stay at around 45%, which supports human health, and is key in this dry climate.”
Every fourth course of EcoBlox includes a steel grid (called Durawall) that enhances structural shear strength. Holes in the blocks with rebar are filled with grout, or otherwise filled with adobe mortar.
Around windows and doors, wood or steel headers provide structure, and a reinforced, continuous, concrete bond beam supports the floor and walls for a second story. The top of the wall typically carries an LVL timber top plate that is as wide as the wall, where roof trusses or rafters are attached. Corners can be rounded and shaped by hand with mesh and trowel, or finished with sharp lines . There is no need for drywall or paint, siding or housewrap.
After mechanicals are placed, the core of the wall is filled with perlite, a lightweight volcanic mineral that insulates and slows heat transfer. “We’ve just found it works the best for our application,” she says. “It spreads and fills easily, and finds voids on its own.” However any loose-fill insulation, such as cellulose, could be used.
A year-long study of a Castle Rock home found that the wall assembly delayed heat transfer by nearly twelve hours, flattening temperature swings even in intense summer heat. While another test measured an airtightness of just 0.7 ACH — exceptional for a masonry structure.
The Castle Rock home, built with EcoBlox, demonstrated remarkably stable temperatures over the hot summer, barely impacted by extreme variations outdoors. Image: Emu Systems, Arvada, CO
For builders accustomed to standard framing, the workflow might be described as more dynamic. Trades often need to be working at the same time, but checklists get done in duplicate or triplicate. “We’re really focused on de-risking this in the contractor’s mind,” Morey says. “There’s maybe a little more upfront learning curve, but then it flows. It’s the mason’s craft.” That’s another takeaway. The mason is really the key to keeping jobs on schedule.
Counting Blox
Morey has experience with roughly 70 adobe and EcoBlox projects. “Our job types range from large custom homes with elevators to smaller DIY builds,” Morey notes. ”We recently worked with a general contractor who has an owner-builder program (through HomeWrights, based in Colorado),” she adds. “We wear many hats, working primarily with GCs and masons, but we have also supported many owner-builders.”
At present, the company’s plant can turn out about 30,000 blocks per month — enough for two sizable homes, each using around 15,000 units. A typical EcoBlox wall includes:
The result, Morey says, is “a sandwich effect” — structure, insulation, and finish unified into one monolithic wall. She adds a small personal tradition to each project: “To carry forward a masonry tradition, I put a coin in the mortar of one of the blocks during construction to give good luck to the owners and those involved in the build.”
An earth block home doesn’t have to live alone in the desert. This project fits the neighborhood aesthetic.
Why Builders and Architects Are Paying Attention
A few selling points:
Overlapping Trade Timelines
Morey says one key to moving EcoBlox deeper into the mainstream is to get trades on board, so that they understand how to coordinate their efforts as walls go up. “We find the majority of issues in construction happen in the connections between the trades, so when the trades have overlap, communicate, and work together, this reduces the amount of problems that occur on-site”, Morey says.
“They need to accurately plan plumbing and electrical runs before the walls are set,” she notes. “These walls are heavy and permanent, so we make sure to get everything right the first time.”
To ease the initial experience with EcoBlox, Nova Terra provides training and detailed guides to contractors. The goal, Morey says, is to make earthen masonry “as straightforward and predictable as laying block—just with a better material.”
Scaling production is the next step. Morey envisions regional micro-plants that can source local soils and reduce shipping costs. The company is also collaborating with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to test phase-change materials that could further improve thermal regulation (NREL research).
Morey notes that EcoBlox offer a strong value proposition for both builders and architects, an appeal that is both aesthetic and pragmatic:
Morey talks passionately about how her system raises the bar for both building pros and their clients. “The type of homes we build matters for future generations,” she says. “Why not choose materials for reasons that actually matter: lower embodied carbon, inherent fire resistance, and walls that stay stable through the kinds of temperature and humidity swings that challenge lighter assemblies?”
“The same house you build today will perform just as well decades later,” she continues, “with quiet rooms, slow temperature swings indoors, and minimal maintenance. Clients can also save on insurance costs. The whole project can be constructed with far less fuss over time than other, multi-layered wall systems.”
By Matt Power, Editor-In-Chief
Veteran journalist Matt Power has reported on innovation and sustainability in housing for nearly three decades. An award-winning writer, editor, and filmmaker, he has a long history of asking hard questions and adding depth and context as he unfolds complex issues.Also Read