BUILDING MATERIALS AND
THEIR PROPERTIES
Building Materials
• Any material used for a construction purpose
• Natural materials (clay, sand, wood, rock…)
• Man-made materials (concrete)
Fabric
• Revived with a development of tensile architecture
and synthetic fabrics
• Used among nomadic groups
• Two well-known types: conical teepee, circular yurt
Rock
• Longest lasting material available
• Dense material, also offers protection
• Drawbacks: weight and it is hard to keep it warm
Thatch
• One of the oldest building materials known
• Grass: good insulator, easily harvested
• Revival of thatch roofs in Netherlands
Ice
• Used by the Inuits for igloos
• In northern areas there are many ice hotels built to
attract tourists
Concrete
•Composite builiding material (made from an
aggregate and a binder)
• Most common form: Portland cement concrete
•In constructions strenghtened by steel rods / bars
(reinforced concrete)
Clay
•Use depending on the quality of soil and clay
amount in it
• High clay soil uses a cob style
•Low clay soil uses a sod building
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_mater
ial,
23/6/11