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Comment by jncfhnb | Hacker News Reader

> sargassum seaweed is washed onto shores anyway, why not use it to make bricks?

I mean the obvious question is whether that is a safe construction practice

What kind of safety are you thinking of?

What I'm wondering is: are there other impacts from removing the seaweed from the shores; does it change the ecosystem around the shore in undesirable ways?

Also: is the supply really up for the demand?

Well they do say the seaweed is invasive, so removing it seems like it would actually be plus for the beach ecosystem (unless it's replacing some native seaweed that no longer washes up, I suppose).

Will the house collapse is what I’m wondering

The Bible describes Egyptians making bricks from mud and straw. In europe and the US it's referred to as "cobb" which if you plug that word in to youtube is a deep rabbit hole of building sturdy and sustainable homes for cheap, even today. You need thicker walls (about triple) than what you might see in a lightweight modern home made by 2x4s and drywall, but the lower cost of materials (and much lower cost of labor) offsets this. The incredible thermal mass of the walls also helps to regulate internal temperature during the daytime. But to answer your question, typically no they do not collapse unless the roof goes without any maintenance, which is unlikely in a tropical region.

Why would they make bricks out of seaweed if they thought the house would collapse?

Why would someone build an MVP for a product that has no clear or viable path to monetization? Because someone wants the product to exist enough that they're willing to give you money to make it happen.

Because someone will buy it. Hence regulations.

But that’s the question. The question is has it been tested to be surely safe.

The seaweed is removed anyway; resorts and beach authorities remove it because it makes for an unpleasant beach.

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