Mudbrick
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A mudbrick is an unfired brick made of clay.
In warm regions with little timber available to fuel a kiln, bricks were generally sun dried. This had the result that their useful lifespan is reduced to around thirty years. Once a building collapsed, new bricks would have to be made and the new structure rebuilt on top of the rubble of the decayed old brick. This phenomenon is the primary factor behind the mounds or tells on which many ancient cities stand.
The earliest use of mudbricks was in the Near East during the Pre-pottery Neolithic B period. The Sumerians used bricks that were flat on the bottom and curved on the top, called plano-convex mudbricks. Some bricks were formed in a square mould and rounded so that the middle was thicker than the ends.
Adobe is a type of mudbrick also used today to save energy and is an environmentally safe way to insulate a house.
The Great Mosque of Djenné, in central Mali, is the largest structure of this kind.
 Mudbrick is still used today, as seen here in the Danube Delta |
 Mud clay and straw are mixed and pressed into moulds |
 When filled the mould is moved on step to make the next brick |
 The rows of bricks are left to dry in the sun |
[edit] External links
- Earth Architecture - A website whose focus is contemporary issues in earth architecture.
- EARTHA : Earth Architecture and Conservation in East Anglia- British organisation that focuses on the proper maintenance and conservation of earth buildings in a region of the UK that has a long history of building with mud. Very experienced experts are contactable and there are regular demonstrations in the area.
- Video showing mud brick making - Mud brick building and biolytic sewerage in South Africa.
