Building material

From ArticleWorld

Building material is the term used for any material that is used for constructing buildings. It consists of materials such as lumber, steel, concrete, and sand and constitutes a large part of the construction cost. Homes, houses and other buildings are constructed using materials that fall into the category of building materials. These are of innumerable types and have undergone various changes from the original mud to the modern steel and concrete.

Building material

This is the age of prefabricated building materials. Houses are built, or should we say, put up like a structure of Lego blocks - seemingly overnight. The walls are made to order, wheeled into place and are nailed together to create a façade that is almost as good at withstanding the passage of time as were the old walls of mud and lime.

Through the ages

The original building materials were stone and brush mixed together with mud to create a material that created homes to suit different weather conditions. Since these materials were natural they were better suited to weather changes than synthetic materials. Dirt and clay buildings were very common in Europe and the rest of the world, till the last century. Buildings made of rock are best able to withstand the ravages of time and are also best suited for different weather conditions. Brush and thatch are the oldest building materials and also very easily available after every harvest. They need to be renovated and repaired each year but, when compared to other materials, are the most environment friendly and cost effective.

Wood houses have also been around for many centuries. Wood is an extremely viable building material that can be very flexible under loads while being incredibly strong when compressed vertically. Modern western homes were typically constructed out of wood. Brick and concrete houses are becoming the order of the day, and are generally able to withstand most hazards from fire to rain to storms. Ice, metal and different kinds of plastic are other kinds of materials that are used for construction.

Houses of straw

The idea of building houses out of straw bales began gaining popularity about ten years ago, and now the use straw in building through straw-bale construction is beginning to be taken seriously.