MUD BRICK ARCHITECTURE AND THE CASE OF KORESTIA VILLAGES IN GREECE

Clay and mud-bricks as construction materials – Composition, properties, improvement of material
Clay is a material which is in abundance everywhere on earth. It is a loose, earthy, extremely fine-grained, natural sediment or soft rock composed primarily of clay-size or colloidal particles and characterized by high plasticity and by a considerable content of clay mineral and subordinate amounts of finely divided quartz, decomposed feldspar, carbonates, ferruginous matter and other impurities, a product of long-term erosion of surface rocks1. The stabilization of clay, namely the improvement of some of its characteristics can be achieved through: 

a) altering its granulometric curve by adding sand and gravel or by adding argillaceous minerals, 

b) adding hydraulic mortars, 

c) adding plant, animal or synthetic fibers, such as hay, animal hair, etc. 

Mud-bricks are hand-made (fig. 1) and do not have fixed dimensions. These can range from 20x10x16cm up to 40x20x20cm.
Their construction method is based on mixing argillaceous clay, fibers (hay, animal hair, etc.) that reinforce their consistency and additives (sand, gravel, ceramic fragments, etc.) that prevent them from shrinking when dried. The mixture is then poured into single or multiple oblong molds and the resulting bricks are left to dry under the sun for 10 to 15 days .[2] […]