Albuquerque, New Mexico · Est. 2025
Diabolical Discoveries is developing Ironclad Bricks — interlocking volcanic masonry units made from New Mexico's own volcanic ash. Lower cost, lower carbon, built for the communities that need housing most.
Get in TouchThe Problem
Construction costs have risen more than 30% since 2020. The U.S. faces a shortage of 3–4 million homes. In New Mexico and across the Southwest, low-income families bear the brunt — priced out not just by rents, but by a system that makes building new homes economically impossible.
Traditional concrete masonry is energy-intensive, centrally manufactured, and trucked long distances — adding cost, emissions, and supply chain fragility at every step. Rural and tribal communities pay the highest premium of all.
Unit housing shortage across the United States
Rise in construction costs since 2020
New Mexico renters who are cost-burdened
Affordable units Albuquerque is on track to build in 2026 — vs. 18,000 needed
Our Solution
Our blocks are made using New Mexico's abundant volcanic ash — a natural pozzolan that replaces most cement, cutting cost and embodied carbon at the source.
The interlocking geometry eliminates most mortar and speeds assembly. Built-in utility channels let electricians and plumbers work faster — reducing labor costs at every stage.
We manufacture close to where housing is built. Shorter supply chains mean lower freight costs, less price volatility, and stronger local economies in the communities that need housing most.
Housing instability and unaffordable construction aren't separate problems. They're the same crisis. We're fixing it from the ground up.
Diabolical Discoveries · Albuquerque, New Mexico · Founded 2025
Market & Impact
Our primary customers are affordable housing developers, general contractors, municipalities, and housing nonprofits. The ultimate beneficiaries are low- and moderate-income households across the Southwest.
We are pursuing ASTM certification and HUD acceptance for structural housing, with a near-term path through non-structural applications, ADUs, and infill projects as zoning reform opens new demand.
Cost Comparison ($/sq ft)
Get In Touch
We're looking for partners, collaborators, and early customers who share our belief that affordable housing demands a new kind of building material.
[email protected]