A Florida construction company is busting paradigms with their revolutionary building technique. Emerging out of Miami, RENCO is stirring up a stagnant industry. Where the building world has idled in the habit of using wood, concrete, or steel, RENCO has leaped forward on the track of innovation.
Using a unique system known as Mineral Composite Fiber Reinforced (MCFR), RENCO builds structures with a simple interlocking method. The result is strong, fire-resistant, sustainable, economical, and fast compared to standard techniques. And they are expanding their footprint in the United States.
How It Works
RENCO recently opened a brand new manufacturing facility in Jupiter, Florida. Here, they whip up their MCFR building material. It’s a mineral composite made of recycled glass, resin, and calcium compounds. It was originally fabricated in Turkey, where the company continues manufacturing the molds used for their building materials.
The MCFR recipe can be mixed and molded into any shape, like flooring, joists, or beams. When it comes to the actual building, the pieces are bonded together with a methyl methacrylate bonding agent…kind of like frosting layers on a wedding cake, but far less edible. Note: it is not edible at all.
RENCO’s process has been described elsewhere as a real-life LEGO set, and that comparison plays out well. Just like those plastic bricks of childhood, MCFR blocks are stacked together in an interlocking style and then glued tight. Despite the simplicity, it’s strong. Nine years of development and 400+ tests led to approval from the International Building Code. They are currently approved for the construction of 5-story buildings and will soon be approved for 8-story buildings.
American Operations
After years of operation in Turkey, the company has stepped onto US soil to take on American projects. Their first is a $21-million housing project consisting of four 3-story buildings in Palm Springs, Florida. The development will contain 96 dwelling units and is being managed by Coastal Construction, a secondary company of one of RENCO’s co-founders.
On August 8, 2023, the company was valued at $318 million. Through this valuation, RENCO raised $18 million to construct their 60,000-square-foot plant in Jupiter, Florida. This manufacturing facility created 100 new jobs, and they have plans to hire a lot more. They’ve already ordered quadruple the amount of materials molds from their main factory in Turkey.
RENCO estimates that their Jupiter center will eventually be able to annually produce 6,000 apartment units’ worth of material. The factory is predicted to reach full operation by late 2024.
The Future of Building
In contrast to the loud, bustling, and busy worksites of traditional manners, RENCO’s construction requires minimal workers and no heavy equipment. On top of that, unused building materials are taken back to the plant to recycle into new parts.
With the ongoing housing crisis in the US, this new building technique is great news. The advantages that the RENCO system brings to the construction world are unparalleled. Is this the way of the future for American infrastructure? The prospect seems promising. After all, Legos have stood the test of time? Certainly, their real-life counterpart will do the same.
Image credit: RENCO USA
