Building units

Mud brick or adobe brick

Mudbricks or Adobe bricks are preformed modular masonry units of sun-dried mud that were
invented at different times in different parts of the world as civilization developed. Construction with
bricks avoids the delays while each course of puddled mud dries. Wall murals show that adobe
production techniques were highly advanced in Egypt by 2500 BC. Adobe construction is common
throughout much of Africa today. Adobe bricks are traditionally made from sand and clay mixed with
water to a plastic consistency, with straw or grass as a binder. The mud is prepared, placed in
wooden forms, tamped and leveled, and then turned out of the mold to dry for several days. The
bricks are then stood on end to air-cure for a month or more.
In the southwest United States and Mexico adobe buildings had massive walls and were rarely more
than two stories high. Adobe mission churches were never more than about 35 feet (11 m). Since
adobe surfaces are fragile, coatings are used to protect them. These coatings, periodically renewed,
have included mud plaster, lime plaster, whitewash[e] or stucco.[34] Adobe walls were historically made
by laying the bricks with mud mortar, which swells and shrinks at the same rate as the bricks when
wetted or dried, heated or cooled. Modern adobe may be stabilized with cement and bonded with
cement mortars, but cement mortars will cause unstabilized adobe bricks to deteriorate due to the
different rates of thermal expansion and contraction.[33]
Compressed earth block
Compressed earth blocks (CEB) were traditionally made by using a stick to ram soil into a wooden
mold. Today they are usually made from subsoil compressed in a hand-operated or powered
machine. In the developing world, manual machines can be a cost-effective solution for making
uniform building blocks, while the more complex and expensive motorized machines are less likely
to be appropriate. Although labor-intensive, CEB construction avoids the cost of buying and
transporting materials.[35] Block-making machines may form blocks that have interlocking shapes to
reduce the requirement for mortar. The block may have holes or grooves so rods such as bamboo
can be inserted to improve earthquake resistance.[36]
Suitable earth must be used, with enough clay to hold the block together and resist erosion, but not
too much expansive clay.[37] When the block has been made from stabilized earth, which contains
cement, the concrete must be given perhaps three weeks to cure. During this time the blocks should
be stacked and kept from drying out by sprinkling water over them. This may be a problem in hot,
dry climates where water is scarce. Closely stacking the blocks and covering them with a polythene
sheet may help reduce water loss.[38]
Earthbags
Earthbag construction is a natural building technique that has evolved from historic military
construction techniques for bunkers.[39] Local subsoil of almost any composition can be used,
although an adobe mix would be preferable. The soil is moistened so it will compact into a stable
structure when packed into woven polypropylene or burlap sacks or tubes. Plastic mesh is
sometimes used. Polypropylene (pp) sacks are most common, since they are durable when covered,
cheap, and widely available.[39] The bags are laid in courses, with barbed wire between each course
to prevent slipping. Each course is tamped after it is laid.[40] The structure in pp bags is similar to
adobe but more flexible. With mesh tubing the structure is like rammed earth.[39] Earthbags may be
used to make dome-shaped or vertical wall buildings. With soil stabilization they may also be used
for retaining walls.[41]
Fired clay brick

English bond bricks from 1454 at the Old College in Tattershall, Lincolnshire, England

The technique of firing clay bricks in a kiln dates to about 3500 BC. Fired bricks were being used to
build durable masonry across Europe, Asia and North Africa by 1200 BC and still remain an
important building material.[42] Modern fired clay bricks are formed from clays or shales, shaped and
then fired in a kiln for 8–12 hours at a temperature of 900–1150 °C.[43][f] The result is a ceramic that is
mainly composed of silica and alumina, with other ingredients such as quartz sand. The porosity of
the brick depends on the materials and on the firing temperature and duration. The bricks may vary
in color depending on the amount of iron and calcium carbonate in the materials used, and the
amount of oxygen in the kiln.[43] Bricks may decay due to crystallization of salts on the brick or in its
pores, from frost action and from acidic gases.[45]
Bricks are laid in courses bonded with mortar, a combination of Portland cement, lime and sand.[46] A
wall that is two bricks thick will include stretcher bricks with their long, narrow side exposed and
header bricks crossing from side to side. There are various brickwork "bonds", or patterns of
stretchers and headers, including the English, Dutch and Flemish bonds.[47]