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Exterior Enclosure Components
Published in Kathleen Hess-Kosa, Building Materials, 2017
In “dry climates” such as in the Middle East, mudbrick, also referred to as adobe brick, is extremely durable, and accounts for some of the oldest existing structures in the world. Mudbrick is a composite of earth mixed with water and organic material such as straw or dung. The earth component is typically local and is comprised of clay, silica sand (55%–75% by weight), and silt. Furthermore, modern adobe brick is stabilized with up to 10% of either emulsified asphalt or Portland cement to protect against water damage. The brick is shaped by hand or packed into forms, and air dried in the heat until hard. The final product is either installed with mortar or mud and may be coated with lime-based mud (old style) plaster, whitewash (e.g., slaked lime and calcium carbonate). Although occupational exposures to silica dust are possible, product emissions are highly unlikely.
The Use of Contact Sponge Method to Measure Water Absorption in Earthen Heritage Treated with Water Repellents
Published in International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 2022
Telma Ribeiro, Daniel V. Oliveira, Susanna Bracci
Using earth as a construction material is a millenary practice. Vernacular architecture, as well as archaeological sites found in North Africa, Middle East or South America show how ancient civilizations used earth to build houses and monuments (Fratini et al. 2011). Many different types of earthen construction technologies (e.g. adobe and rammed earth) have been developed based on locally available materials (e.g. soil, sand, lime, natural fibers) and traditional know-how (Schroeder 2016). Adobe, also known as mudbrick, consists in molding a mixture of soil and water (workable enough to be molded) within a brick shape and is left to dry under the sun. In turn, rammed earth involves compacting soil into wooden formworks (Figure 1) (Rocha 2015). So, different earthen building techniques can be found all around the world according to the geographical location, type of soils and local weather conditions (Houben and Hubert 1989).
Techniques and Characteristics of Traditional Earthen Masonry Walls: The Case of Spain
Published in International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 2020
F. Javier Gómez-Patrocinio, Fernando Vegas López-Manzanares, Camilla Mileto, Lidia García-Soriano
The use of adobe fabrics with shiner bond (Figure 6c) results in very thin 7–15 cm walls. The loadbearing capacity of the walls executed in this bond is limited and only a couple of cases have been identified of its use in single fabrics with a structural role. In these cases, walls are usually constructed using mudbricks stabilized in mixes with high proportions of lime or even cement. In contrast, high thermal inertia of the soil has enabled the use of walls with shiner bond for façade non-bearing, even in residential buildings.