1. Gablok Australia – sizes & technical data

Core block geometry (Gablok Australia):

From the Gablok Australia Technical FAQs: Gablok Australia

• Standard full block:

  • 750 mm (L) × 300 mm (H) × 300 mm (thickness)

  • Approx. 7.5 kg per full block

• Half block:

  • 375 mm (L) × 300 mm (H) × 300 mm (thickness)

  • Approx. 3.7 kg

• Corner block:

  • 750 mm (L) × 300 mm (H) × 300 mm with 90° interlock

• Top plate / U-block:

  • 750 mm (L) × 300 mm (H) × 300 mm (thickness)

Blocks per m² of wall:

• Approx. 6.25 blocks per m² of wall area, based on 750 mm × 300 mm full block geometry. Gablok Australia

So if you ever want to sanity-check costs, the relationship is:

Block cost per m² of wall ≈ 6.25 × price per full block

Materials & structure:

From the AU FAQs and corporate technical info: Gablok Australia+2Gablok Australia+2

• Timber shell: 18 mm OSB (oriented strand board) forming the “formwork” of each block.

• Insulation: graphite-enhanced EPS (expanded polystyrene) core, factory-bonded into the OSB shell.

• Weight: all block components are designed to stay under ~9 kg, so they are genuinely DIY-handleable.

• Compressive strength of a Gablok wall: approx. 150 kN/m.

• Floor system:

  • Lintels up to ~2.4 m

  • Floor elements spanning up to 4.8 m, designed to carry approx. 250 kg/m² live load, comparable to conventional timber floors.

Thermal performance:

• The Gablok AU FAQ states an external wall U-value ≈ 0.15 W/m²·K (very good – better than many standard framed walls with batts). Gablok Australia

This comes from the OSB + EPS composite, before you even add internal plasterboard or external cladding.

2. Prices – what we actually know vs what’s indicative

2.1 Public / global info (indicative only)

Gablok does not publish a fixed Australian price list per m² or per block. Australian clients are generally quoted per project through the website. Gablok Australia

Public, non-Australian references say:

• Belgian corporate and interviews talk about ≈ €350/m² (ex-VAT) for a standard house, with Gablok projects up to ~30% cheaper than regular construction in Belgium. Homecrux+1

• US-oriented articles and price guides quote ranges of USD 150–250/ft² for a complete Gablok build (structure plus basic finishes) depending on location, design and labour. Coohom+2Hooked Home+2

Those numbers are useful for benchmarks and investor decks, but you cannot legally or commercially treat them as Australian contract rates – transport, local labour, BAL, energy and compliance all shift the picture here.

2.2 Australian pricing reality

For Gablok Australia specifically:

• There is no official public “rate card” – the AU site drives people to custom quotes rather than listing $/m². Gablok Australia

• Costs in AU must cover:

  • Local licensing / IP and tech support

  • Factory fabrication (or container import)

  • Freight to site (which can be extreme in remote regions)

  • Engineering, approvals, design conversion to the Gablok grid

  • On-site assembly (whether DIY-assisted or full install)

In our previous chats you’ve been working with internal modelling numbers like:

• Gablok supply rate: ~$550/m² of wall area (system supply)

• Labour: ~$50/hr-$150/hr for assembly crews

Those are your own commercial assumptions, not “official Gablok pricing”. They’re fine to use internally for feasibility, but if you publish or send to clients, label them as “project-specific budget estimates”, not as a fixed Gablok AU tariff.

If you want, I can help you build:

• a cost matrix (blocks/m² × internal target margin × logistics), and

• a client-facing table that clearly distinguishes:

  • Shell only (Gablok system) vs

  • Full build vs

  • Professional services (design, DA/BA, engineering, etc.)

3. Compliance with AS & NCC/BCA – how Gablok is positioned

Key point: Gablok is a construction system, not a standalone “certified product” that magically makes a house compliant.

Like any alternative construction method, each building is certified against the National Construction Code (NCC – BCA) through:

1. Structural & energy engineering;

2. Evidence of suitability of the product, and

3. A Performance Solution where the system doesn’t fit straight into a Deemed-to-Satisfy clause. National Construction Code+3National Construction Code+3Australian Building Codes Board+3

3.1 Structural and wind

From Gablok Australia’s own Technical FAQ: Gablok Australia

• Gablok structures in AU are engineered to comply with:

  • AS 4055 – Wind loads for housing (N1–N6, C1–C4)

  • AS/NZS 1170.2 – Structural Design Actions – Wind actions

• Standard configurations can be certified up to N3 / C1, and higher wind ratings (N4–N5) are achievable with additional reinforcement and tie-down design, all signed off by an Australian structural engineer.

In practice, your engineer will typically reference:

• AS 1684 – Residential timber-framed construction (the Timber Framing Code, covering tie-downs, bracing, span tables etc.) woodsolutions.com.au+1

• AS 1720.1 – Timber structures (for full structural design where needed) Dahlsens

• AS 2870 – Residential slabs and footings and AS 3600 – Concrete structures for slab / footing design.

The Gablok wall data (150 kN/m capacity, spans, etc.) Gablok Australia+2Gablok Australia+2 is then used as input to those calculations.

3.2 Energy efficiency

NCC energy efficiency requirements (e.g. NatHERS, Section J / Part 2.6) are satisfied at whole-building level, not per product.

Gablok’s own technical content says: Gablok Australia

• External wall U-value ≈ 0.15 W/m²·K

• That is better (lower) than the Belgian EPB requirement of 0.24 W/m²·K for walls, and close to passive-house-style performance when combined with efficient glazing.

In an Australian compliance pathway:

• Your energy consultant imports the wall build-up (OSB + EPS + plasterboard + cladding) into NatHERS / JV3 modelling.

• Given that U-value, Gablok walls usually make it easier to hit NCC energy targets, especially in colder zones – the limiting factors become glazing, roof/ceiling R-values and thermal bridges, not the wall itself.

3.3 Moisture, condensation & weatherproofing

From Gablok AU technical content: Gablok Australia+1

• The EPS core is closed-cell and does not absorb water, so its thermal performance is stable after incidental wetting.

• Exterior cladding / render is the primary waterproof layer; the Gablok block is the structural & insulating core.

• They reference AS/NZS 4859.1 (thermal insulation materials) and AS/NZS 4200.1 (moisture control / sarking).

Under the NCC, external walls with foam-based materials (like EPS) often require a Performance Solution for weatherproofing to demonstrate that the overall wall build-up meets the moisture and water ingress performance requirements. bpic.asn.au+1

That usually involves:

• Condensation risk modelling,

• Detailing of membranes, flashings and cavity drainage, and

• Evidence that cladding systems are suitable (e.g. via AS/NZS 4284 tests for façade systems where applicable). Gablok Australia+1

3.4 Fire performance & FRL

There is no widely published Australian FRL test report (AS 1530.4) specific to Gablok walls that I can point to right now.

So for fire compliance under NCC (FRL, non-combustibility where required, cavity barriers, etc.) you’d normally:

• Treat the Gablok wall as a combustible insulated core (timber + EPS).

• Rely on tested fire-rated lining systems (e.g. dual-layer fire-rated plasterboard systems, fire-rated claddings) to achieve the required FRL (e.g. 60/60/60).

• Have a fire engineer or structural engineer assemble a wall build-up using:

  • known tested systems, or

  • a Performance Solution referencing AS 1530.4 test data from equivalent assemblies.

For Class 1 dwellings, internal linings and boundary walls are the usual focus; Joints, service penetrations and cavity closers all need to be detailed to meet the NCC performance requirements.

3.5 Bushfire (AS 3959)

If you build in a bushfire-prone area, the NCC points to AS 3959:2018 – Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas for BAL-rated construction. HIA+1

For a Gablok dwelling that means:

• Compliance is driven mostly by external elements – cladding system, bushfire-rated windows/doors, ember-proof vents, non-combustible decks/outbuildings, etc.

• Gablok walls will typically be treated as a combustible core behind compliant cladding and linings, with the BAL performance achieved by those outer layers and detailing.

You’d work with:

• BAL assessor / bushfire consultant,

• Fire engineer (if needed), and

• Building surveyor / certifier

to ensure the final spec ticks both AS 3959 and overall NCC fire and bushfire provisions.

3.6 Windows, doors & services

From the Gablok AU technical FAQ: Gablok Australia+1

• Windows/doors:

  • Openings are pre-framed and lintelled.

  • Units are fixed using standard AU brackets into surrounding timber, then flashed and sealed to meet AS 2047 (windows & glazing) and AS/NZS 4284 (facades) where relevant.

• Services:

  • Routed through vertical and horizontal chases or the internal batten cavity without cutting the structural timber core.

  • Electrical work is designed and certified under AS/NZS 3000 (Wiring Rules) by a licensed electrician.

4. How to summarise this for an engineer / certifier

If you need a one-pager for a building surveyor, engineer or council, it generally needs to say:

1. What the system is: 150 mm thick interlocking OSB + EPS timber blocks, 750 × 300 mm module, 6.25 blocks/m², 150 kN/m wall capacity, U-value 0.15 W/m²·K. Gablok Australia+2Gablok Australia+2

2. Which Standards are being used: AS 4055, AS/NZS 1170 series, AS 1684 / AS 1720, AS 2870/3600, AS/NZS 4859.1, AS/NZS 4200.1, AS 2047, AS/NZS 4284, AS/NZS 3000, AS 3959 where applicable. Standards Australia+3Gablok Australia+3woodsolutions.com.au+3

3. Compliance pathway: NCC 2022 Volume Two, using:

   • Deemed-to-Satisfy for conventional elements (slab, roof, standard timber members, linings, services); and

   • A Performance Solution for the EPS-core external wall system, supported by structural calc’s, condensation analysis, energy modelling and (if needed) fire engineering. National Construction Code+2Australian Building Codes Board+2