Any material that is used in construction, such as materials for building houses, is. The most commonly used building materials are wood, cement, bricks concrete, clay, aggregates, and metals. These materials are chosen based on their economic viability for building projects. Buildings can be constructed from many naturally occurring materials, including clay, sands, wood, rocks, and even twigs, and leaves. Many man-made products, both synthetic and natural, are used in construction. In many countries, the manufacture of building materials has been a well-established industry. The use of these materials is usually divided into specialty trades such as carpentry and plumbing. This section deals with habitats, structures, and homes. Bisley Chemicals Australia provides the best raw material needed at the construction site.
Natural Construction Materials
There are two types of construction materials: synthetic and natural. Natural materials are those materials that have not been processed or are minimally processed by the industry. After much human manipulation, synthetic materials can be made in an industrial setting using plastics or petroleum-based paints. Both have their place. Apart from tents made with flexible materials like cloth or skins, mud, stone, and fibrous plants are the basic materials. These three materials have been used by people all over the globe to make homes that are suitable for their particular climate. These buildings are generally made up of stone and/or bristle. Mud is used to fill in any gaps between the stones and acts as insulation and concrete. Wattle and daub is an example of wattle, which is used in permanent housing in tropical areas or as summer structures by ancient north peoples.
Nomadic groups around the globe used to choose the tent as their home. The conical teepee is one type, while the circular yurt is another. With the advent of synthetic fabrics and tensile architecture, it has been rediscovered as a key construction technique. Modern buildings can be made from flexible materials such as fabric membranes and supported by steel cables or internal pressure (air pressure).
Clay AND MUD
Different styles can be achieved depending on the amount of each material. The soil quality is often the deciding factor. Higher clay content is associated with cob/adobe styles. Low clay soils are often used in sod construction. Other ingredients include more or fewer sand/gravel, straw/grasses, and/or less. Rammed Earth is a mix of an older and a newer method for creating walls. Originally, it was done by compressing clay soils between planks manually. Now, forms and pneumatic compressors can be used. Clay, especially soil, is a good thermal mass and keeps temperatures constant. Earthen homes are naturally cooler in the summer heat than warm in winter. Clay can hold heat and cold, and release it over time just like stone. The temperature of earthen walls changes slowly so it can take more resources to artificially raise or lower the temperature than in a wooden house. However, the heat/coolness lasts longer. They are still being built today but on a smaller scale. Some of these buildings are still habitable after hundreds of years.
For as long as history can remember, rock structures have been around. It is the most durable building material and it is often readily available. There are many kinds of rock around the globe, each with different attributes which make them better for specific purposes. Rock is a dense material, so it provides a lot of protection. However, its biggest drawback is its weight and awkwardness. Stone’s low energy density is also a problem. Without large heating resources, it is difficult to keep warm. For as long as humans have placed stones on top of each other, dry-stone walls have been constructed.
Brush structures are made entirely of plant parts. They are most common in subtropical and tropical areas like rainforests where large leaves can be used. They are made mostly of branches, twigs, leaves, and bark and look a lot like a beaver lodge. These were also known as lean-tos and wickiups.