Earth Construction
Earth Building
Mud brick building is also known by the alternative name `adobe'.
There are other ways of building with mud apart from `adobe'. These will be considered briefly in this course. Of all the mud building techniques, `adobe' or `mud brick' is the most fool proof. For the novice, there is not a lot which can go wrong if you choose to build with `adobe'.
EARTH BUILDING TECHNIQUES CAN VARY FROM PLACE TO PLACE
Earth building has been, and continues to be, a traditional form of construction in dry climates such as the Middle East, parts of Asia, and North Africa. If rainfall is low, mud buildings are not going to deteriorate so readily; and less effort may be required for repairs.
Earth buildings can, and are, nevertheless, still successful in wet climates, where the eroding affect of rain can be controlled by either:
a/ Putting a waterproof coating over the earthy wall,
b/ Impregnating the mud with a water resisting material during construction (eg. Cement or a plastic type material)
c/ Capping walls with an overhanging top (eg. Wide eves on a building, Concrete tiles or stone slabs on top of walls, etc).
Building laws will also vary from place to place around the world. In some places, mud brick construction may even be illegal; or if not, heavily regulated. In other places, mud construction is no more restricted than any other form of construction.
What Type of Soil Do You Need for Mud Bricks?
The best soils for mud bricks would be 'clays', 'clay loams', 'silty clay loams', or 'silty clays'.
Sandy clay loam would require additional clay and or organic matter added (eg. straw) to make an effective brick mixture.
LEARN MORE in our Mud Brick Construction Course (We have over 25 years of teaching Mud Brick Construction across the world!)
[07/09/2008 23:57:53]
