Masonry

thumb|A single brick thumb|A wall constructed in glazed-headed Flemish bond brickwork pattern, with various shades and lengths

thumb|A single concrete block, as used for construction

workable paste used to bind building blocks

thumb|Moat at Beaumaris Castle, [[Wales]] A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices. In older fortifications, such as hillforts, they are usually referred to simply as ditches, although the function is similar. In later periods, moats or water defences may be largely ornamental. They could also act as a sewer.

thumb|A mason laying a brick on top of the mortar thumb|Bridge over the Isábena (river)|Isábena river in the Monastery of Santa María de Obarra, masonry construction with stones

thumb|A team of bricklayers preparing to lay courses of bricks (1917) thumb|Illustration of how the bricklayer, on clearing the footings of a wall, builds up six or eight courses of bricks at the external angles

thumb|Adobe wall (detail) in Bahillo, Palencia, Spain thumb|Renewal of the surface coating of an adobe wall in [[Chamisal, New Mexico]] thumb|Adobe walls separate urban gardens in Shiraz, Iran

building material used in construction during the late Roman Republic

movable or stationary machine that combines cement, aggregate such as sand or gravel, and water to form concrete

lightweight, precast building material

type of stonework found in ancient Mycenaean architecture

standard size rectangular block used in building construction

thumb|William Henry Playfair, [[University of Edinburgh: bevelled edges of each stone block emphasise the voussoirs, which have a curved base and together form a semi-circle at the top of each arch.]] A voussoir (UK: ; US: ) is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault. thumb|Joggled voussoir arch, located at the Mausoleum of Theodoric in [[Ravenna, Italy. (520 CE)]] Each voussoir is formed in a specific way to fit within the arch or vault created. Normally, different colored stones are shaped to fit together in a curved way that relies on the balanc

building material

architectural element made from glass, providing visual obscuration while admitting light

thumb|right|South and East view of an Earthship passive solar house thumb|right|Typical floorplan thumb|Earthship Architecture, Taos, New Mexico An Earthship is a style of architecture developed in the late 20th century to early 21st century by architect Michael Reynolds. Earthships are designed to behave as passive solar earth shelters made of both natural and upcycled materials such as earth-packed tires. Earthships may feature a variety of amenities and aesthetics, and are designed to withstand the extreme temperatures of a desert, managing to stay close to 70 °F (21 °C) regardles

thumb|Using a rubber grout float to smooth grout between tiles

thumb|right|Construction block made from hempcrete thumb|Illustration of hemp concrete carbon emission and sequestration, with a net emissions balance indicating carbon negativity

thumb|right|300px|Secondary efflorescence on the dam of the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant. In chemistry, efflorescence (Derived from the Latin verb 'efflorescere' roughly meaning 'to flower') is the migration of a salt to the surface of a porous material, where it forms a coating. The essential process involves the dissolving of an internally held salt in water or occasionally, in another solvent. The water, with the salt now held in solution, migrates to the surface, then evaporates, leaving a coating of the salt.

thumb|Reception hall of Azm Palace|Azem Palace in [[Damascus, Syria, using ablaq technique (18th century)]]Ablaq (; particolored; literally 'piebald') is an architectural technique involving alternating or fluctuating rows of light and dark stone. It is an Arabic term describing a technique associated with Islamic architecture in the Arab world. The technique is used primarily for decorative effect. It may have its origins in earlier Byzantine architecture in the region, where alternating layers of white stone and orange brick were used in construction. Its use began early in the history of Is

masonry structural division

type of wood burning masonry stove

lightweight concrete typically made by mixing water, cement and foam

building material

dry stone masonry technique in which the visible surface of building stones are dressed with straight sides, giving the wall face the appearance of adjoining polygons.

wall consisting of two skins with a cavity

Trass is the local name of a volcanic tuff occurring in the Eifel, where it is worked for hydraulic mortar. It is a grey or cream-coloured fragmental rock, largely composed of pumiceous dust, and may be regarded as a trachytic tuff. It much resembles the Italian pozzolana and is applied to like purposes. Mixed with lime and sand, or with Portland cement, it is extensively employed for hydraulic work, especially in the Netherlands; while the compact varieties have been used as a building material and as a fire-stone in ovens. Trass was formerly worked extensively in the Brohl valley and is now

Core-and-veneer, brick and rubble, wall and rubble, ashlar and rubble, and emplekton all refer to a building technique where two parallel walls are constructed and the core between them is filled with rubble or other infill, creating one thick wall. Originally, and in later poorly constructed walls, the rubble was not consolidated. Later, mortar and cement were used to consolidate the core rubble and produce sturdier construction.

presence of unwanted moisture in the structure of a building

material simulating natural stone

thumb|right|Nawamis, Egypt Nawamis (singular: namus) are circular prehistoric megalithic stone tombs located in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Sites called nawamis are also found in Oman and Yemen. Human remains found in the tombs date from 4000 to 3150 BCE, the Chalcolithic era of prehistoric Egypt and the Levant.

thumb|right|300px|Cal-Earth polypropylene tubes (sandbags) being used to construct domed structures thumb|right|300px|Superadobe Construction

massive lightweight building material composed of solid gypsum

Carolingian monastery town under construction in Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Naviglio of Milan

layer of similar material in a structure, e.g. a row of bricks

ancient roman building techniques

flexible mason's rule made of lead that could be bent to the curves of a molding, and used to measure or reproduce irregular curves

spaces between bricks or blocks, filled with mortar or grout

brick perforated to reduce thermal conductivity and weight

thumb|Cobogó at the Federal University of Mato Grosso, [[Cuiabá]] Cobogó is the term generally given to the hollow wall-filling element present in some Brazilian buildings, typically made out of clay or cement. Its purpose is to enable increased airflow and light to enter the interior of a building, whether residential, commercial, or industrial.

set of tools for splitting stone