Building materials are required when carrying out any type of construction project, from simple residential homes to complex commercial buildings and other types of infrastructure like roads and bridges.
The materials used in building a structure can have a significant impact on the performance, durability, and overall appearance or aesthetics of that structure. It can also determine the types of tools and equipment used during the project.
Today, there are different types of building materials available to engineers and architects, and choosing the right one can be quite challenging due to their various properties and appearance.
Here in this article, we’ll be exploring the various types of building materials, from traditional materials like wood, bricks and mortar, modern innovative materials like carbon fiber and 3D printed solutions for construction.
We’ll examine the characteristics, the advantages and disadvantages of each of these materials to help builders, designers and architects make informed decisions during their construction projects.
Concrete
Uses: For building foundations, floors, walls, and other structural elements.
Concrete is a mixture of other building materials which include sand, gravel or crushed stone, cement and water. It’s one of the most common building materials used today for a wide range of construction projects. One of the primary reasons for using it is because it can withstand high levels of compressive and tensile stress without failing, especially when it’s reinforced with steel.
That is why it’s the preferred material for constructing bridges, buildings, shelters, roads, foundations, and many other structures that need to support heavy loads.
Apart from it’s durability and ability to withstand heavy load, concrete has many other desirable properties that makes it one of the most sought after building material.
It’s resistant to many elements that can cripple or damage other materials. It’s resistant to fire, insect infestation, water damage and cold temperatures.
Another important advantage of using concrete is that it’s very versatile. You can cast it into whatever shape and size you want and it will retain that shape. It can be molded and sculpted to form decorative and architectural details in a building. It can be polished, it can be painted and stamped to achieve various aesthetic effects.
However, although it has many advantages, it also has some disadvantage as a building material. The biggest of which is it’s impact on the environment. The production of cement, which is one of the key components of concrete, is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions that impacts the environment negatively.
It can also be difficult and expensive to recycle, unlike steel and lumber.
Bricks
Uses: used for building walls, chimneys, and fireplaces.
Bricks have been used as a building material for thousands of years. In fact, they’re one of the oldest and common materials for constructing buildings. They can be used for building walls, fireplaces and chimneys.
There are many advantages for using bricks and there are disadvantages as well.
Advantages:
Durability
One of the main advantages of using bricks as a building material is that they’re very durable. Structures built with bricks can last for centuries without degrading.
Fire and heat resistance
Bricks are fire and heat resistant. That means it’s very unlikely for a structure built with bricks to burn or ignite when there’s a fire nearby.
Energy efficiency
Bricks have excellent thermal mass properties. Which means they can absorb and store large amounts of heat energy. That’s why they’re largely used for constructing ovens, because ones the fire is lit in them, even though there’s no more burning wood in the oven, the heat energy retained in the bricks can still cook the food placed in it.
Using bricks for building a house can also help to regulate the temperature of the building and reduce the cost of heating or cooling the building.
Unlike houses built with wood, drywall and even concrete, one that’s build with brick will retain heat in the winter much better. That means you’ll spend less in keeping warm during the cold winter season.
Bricks are also easier to maintain over time. It doesn’t take much to keep a house built with bricks in good condition.
They also have good sound insulation properties. It’ll be difficult for sound generated in other areas of a house or even sound from outside to get travel through brick walls inside a building.
Disadvantages:
Although using bricks to build a structure have many advantages, it also have disadvantages. The first disadvantage is cost.
Bricks can be expensive when compared to other building materials, especially if you need custom designs and you want the bricks to be made with high quality materials.
Just like concrete, they’re also very heavy, making it difficult to transport them to construction sites. Bricks can also be porous. Which means they can absorb moisture. The moisture absorbed can cause the growth of mold and mildew and on the walls of the building.
Limited design options
Bricks are not very versatile building materials. They have limited design options available to architects and builders, which in turn limits their use when executing intricate and complex designs.
Overall, they still remain a very popular choice for architects builders and designers, due to their aesthetic appeal and other physical properties.
Stone
Uses: used for building walls, fireplaces, and decorative elements.
Stone is a naturally occurring building material that has been used for thousands of years, even before any form of modern civilization. Just like bricks, it can be used to erect walls, build fireplaces and even serve as decorative elements on interior and exterior walls.
Advantages of Using Stone
Strength and Durability
One of the main reasons why stone is an excellent choice of building material is its strength and durability. A structure built with stone can withstand heavy load and harsh weather conditions like cold and heat. Stone will not break down or lose its properties no matter how cold the winter is or how hot the summer is.
That’s why it’s an excellent material for building foundations, since it does not degrade even in the presence of water or heat.
Aesthetics
Stone is a natural occurring material. So, it has a natural beauty which can be hard to replicate in other man-made materials. This natural beauty enhances the appearances of the building and structures it’s used for.
Many other building materials like wood and concrete need to be painted to improve their appearance. Stone on the other hand, does not need to be painted.
Fire resistant
Even if you burn stone, it will still retain its physical properties. That’s why campers and adventurers cook on stones, because it does not degrade with heat. It is non-combustible and an excellent choice for constructing structures where fire resistance is of optimum importance.
Disadvantages
Stone is expensive
Most of the time, stone needs to be quarried with heavy machinery and transported from long distances to the site where it’s needed.
This makes it very expensive compared to other building materials.
Weight
Stone is very heavy and can be difficult to transport. The weight also makes it unsuitable for certain types of buildings like skyscrapers, that may not be able to support the weight.
Lumber
Uses: used for building framing, flooring, and finishes.
Lumber or timber is gotten from trees which are felled down and cut into various sizes and shapes. It’s one of the most popular building materials you’ll find today. Almost every home have parts that are made with lumber. Chances are, the house you’re living in now is made with it.
Building framing, roofing, flooring, interior and exterior finishes can all be made with it. As with other building materials, there are advantages to using lumber, and there are disadvantages as well.
Here are the advantages
It has many applications
Lumber is very versatile. It can be used for a wide range of application when constructing a house. It’s used for framing, for roofing, for flooring, for siding, and for interior decorative fixtures like moldings and baseboards.
It’s affordable
Lumber is more affordable when compared to other building materials like steel, stone, concrete and even bricks. Sometimes, you don’t even have to buy it if you have happen to be using a lot with trees in it. You can just pay for labour and saw all the trees into planks for your building project.
Aesthetics
Lumber has aesthetics properties that makes it a very desirable building material. It has a natural texture that can cease a sense of depth and dimension in an interior space, and this texture varies depending on the type of the wood, the type of cut, and the surface finish.
Lumber also comes in different colors depending on the species, the age and location of the tree it was cut from. The color of lumber ranges from light natural color to a rich dark hue, and this color can be enhance with different types of stain and surface finish.
Disadvantages
Even though lumber has several desirable properties that makes it very suitable for building, it also has some undesirable ones that makes it not suitable in certain environments.
It’s vulnerable to moisture and pests
Wood can absorb moisture from the air or from the ground if it’s not protected properly, and that can cause it to rot or decay. It can also be damaged by pests like termites and other insects which can eat through the wood and cause it to fail
It burns
This is probably one of the biggest drawbacks of using wood for building. It is very combustible and can be a fire hazard if it’s not protected properly with fire resistant materials, it burns like hell.
Limited strength
Lumber is not as strong as steel or concrete, and definitely not as heavy. It’s a also lightweight and buoyant. That’s why buildings made with it hardly survive natural disasters like a Tsunami.
Requires regular maintenance
Since lumber easily gets damage by water or pests, it’s important to carry out regular inspection and maintenance on any structures built with it. This can be time consuming and costly.
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Steel
Steel is one of the main components of modern buildings and architecture. It’s an excellent material for constructing tall buildings and structures due to its strength, durability and load-bearing capabilities.
It’s also ductile, which means it’s not brittle and won’t break easily. It can withstand substantial deformation without breaking and that proves very useful for structures built with it in case of earthquakes or other dynamic loads.
Steel is also fire resistant. I tcan maintain its strength even at hight temperatures and even performs better when coated with fire-resistant materials.
There are several structural applications of steel in building construction. It’s widely used constructed tall skyscrapers due to its ability to withstand both vertical and lateral forces imposed by wind and gravitation.
It’s used for building framing, roofing, bridge construction, cladding, factory construction, prefabricated buildings and so on.
Aluminum
Just like steel, aluminum also have many building and construction applications. It has some unique that makes it the ideal material for certain building applications.
Unlike steel, aluminum is very lightweight and corrosion resistant. Because it’s lightweight, it’s easier to handle transport and install. That is why it’s widely used for constructing window and door frames.
Although it’s not as strong as steel, it still offers sufficient strength for several structural application, especially when alloyed with other metals.
It can be shaped into various forms and profiles due to its ductility, making it ideal for producing intricate architectural elements and designs.
Aluminum is also a very good conductor of electricity and heat, making it suitable for thermal and electrical applications, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
Roofing is another area where aluminum is widely used. Aluminum roofing panels are lightweight, durable and resistant to corrosion, which makes them suitable for both commercial and residential applications.
Glass
Although glass is very brittle and breaks easily, it has certain unique properties that makes it one of the most sought after materials used in modern architecture.
It is mostly sought after due to its transparency and ability to transmit light, allowing natural light to pass through, which can create bright and visually open spaces in buildings. This also makes it one of the most common material for making windows. When used for windows, it allows natural light to enter the building while providing clear views of the surroundings.
Modern glass used in construction is also very strong and durable, able to withstand various types of load and impacts.
It also offers both sound and thermal insulation properties which makes it suitable for applications where noise control is essential. It’s thermal insulation properties improves the thermal performance of a building, reducing energy consumption for heating and cooling.
Glass also offers several aesthetic or decorative properties, because it comes in various colors, patterns and textures, which provides designers with a wide range of options for building decoration.
