A Miami-based company revolutionizing green construction with a strong and more sustainable way to build is being honored with a global design award. 

RENCO USA, which uses patented, composite blocks made with repurposed ingredients that stack like real-life LEGO bricks, has won an international A’Design Award at this week’s annual awards gala on July 18 at the Teatro Sociale in Como, Italy. 

Known as one of the world’s largest and most prestigious design awards, the A’Design Award & Competition recognizes excellent, original design work from across the globe, serving as a source of inspiration for award-winning designers, artists, architects, brands and design agencies. 

“As natural disasters worsen with the impact of a warming climate, we must innovate to find more sustainable ways to build,” said RENCO Co-Founder Thomas P. Murphy, Jr. “What we’ve created is the biggest change in construction in a century. Instead of using concrete, wood or steel, RENCO introduces an entirely new composite building material, which will greatly reduce construction’s carbon footprint globally.”

RENCO's innovative building system, utilizing interlocking molded blocks, reduces costs significantly and allows for rapid construction. Made with repurposed glass fibers, resin and naturally occurring calcite, this renewable composite material is certified to withstand Category 5 hurricane force winds.

Following more than 12 years of research and development and having passed more than 400 safety tests for Code approval, RENCO USA successfully completed its inaugural apartment complex in Palm Springs, Florida. Using color-coded plans, 11 unskilled workers assembled each three-story building in about eight weeks.

“Because RENCO buildings are like a LEGO kit, there is no waste. No more big dumpsters are needed like you see at a typical construction site,” said RENCO managing director Patrick Murphy. “ This is revolutionary for green building.”

As climate change intensifies, RENCO is designed to last longer than conventional construction because it won’t rust or rot, termites won’t consume it, it’s rated to be hurricane resistant and is resistant to fire, water, mold and pests. To meet growing demand, a manufacturing facility in South Florida is set to open this summer, producing composite products for U.S. distribution and is approved to build internationally.

This marks RENCO USA’s third global award in a matter of months. In February, the company took first place for building innovations at the 2024 JEC Composites Innovation Awards in Paris, France.  In November, RENCO won Best Construction Product Design of 2023 at the BLT Built Design Awards in Lucerne, Switzerland.