Remove ads
Adobe is a building material made from soil and often organic matter.[1] Adobe means mudbrick in Spanish.[2] It can also mean any kind of earth construction.
,_ca.1902_(CHS-772).jpg)
Pima Indian woman making pottery by an adobe hut
Adobe is one of the earliest building materials ever used.[3] It is found all over the world. The techniques used in adobe construction have not changed since the 16th century in the Southwestern United States.[3] Because they are not fired in a kiln they never become hard.[3] They shrink and swell as the water content in them changes.[3] Also, as they get wetter, they become weaker.[3]
Adobe does not permanently stick to wood, metal or stone because it moves more than they do.[3] This causes cracks and seperation from other materials.[3] Stone is sometimes used as a foundation and wood for the roof.[3] These are usually held in place by their own weight or the weight of the adobe pressing down on them.[3] But adobe construction is cheap and the materials are usually easy to find.
Remove ads
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
Remove ads