When was bricks created

This arose because of the lack of other natural building materials available in these areas. As such it can be hard to distinguish original architecture from this resurgence. In the renaissance and baroque periods, the look of exposed brick became less popular and brick exteriors were often covered with render and plaster. In medieval times, bricks were made by workers kneading the clay and then placing it in wooden moulds. Excess clay was wiped off and the brick shaped clay was removed from the frame.

The industrial revolution changed everything, boosting production capacity and therefore decreasing the cost of manufacture and construction. Many of the early American skyscrapers of New York were built with brick. The Empire State Building was built with 10 million bricks! As industrialisation and urbanisation of cities continued other methods of building began to come in, particularly with the increase of cement-based building materials like concrete. There was a financial and structural limit to how high brick buildings could go so bigger skyscrapers began to move away from using brick.

Since the 's brick production has essentially halved and is now mainly used to build housing. It's worth noting that this decrease in production is partly down to bricks not being used for the load bearing part of a structure. Most new buildings have a steel or wooden frame and brick is used primarily for its aesthetic benefits. However, brick is also seeing a stylistic revival in the building of modern smaller to medium sized office buildings. These won't necessarily use traditional bricklaying but at least the brick exterior is making a comeback.

If this brief overview of the history of bricks has inspired you to get started on your building project, take a look at our library of bricks. Brick Library. During the 14th Century, probably due to increased trade from the forming of the Hanseatic League, brick technology was imported into eastern ports in England. Hull and Beverley in Yorkshire became important brick towns with Municipal brickyards being established in Hull in In the early 15th century various halls and castles started to be constructed in brick Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire and Faulkbourne Hall in Essex.

Such buildings were often constructed using bricks made on, or near to, the site of the building. Bricks were being made individually and were expensive and, therefore, were only the domain of the rich. Clay near the surface was dug up and weathered over the winter. Clots of the mixed clay were dropped in sanded moulds and the excess removed. A clamp was a body of bricks set on a bed of fuel, encased by previously fired bricks to conserve heat. A large numbers of bricks could be fired in a clamp, but once lit, the firing could not be controlled and the quality could not be guaranteed.

We've come a long way from the early days of baked mud. Modern bricks come in all kinds of colors, weights, sizes and scales of absorbency.

The manufacture of bricks has been made extremely cost effective and efficient by the introduction of new machine technologies, equipment for the extraction of fundamental materials, modern kilns and electrical motorization of the brickmaking process. Bricks are now being made from concrete and calcium silicate as well as the traditional pure clay. Bricks are still the most commonly employed unit in building construction.

Architecture using bricks is an ever expanding field and both in terms of brick manufacturing technologies and the art of buildings design it seems that the brick still has a long future ahead of it. It is hard to imagine a more versatile and beautiful building material. Thanks for your comment. Glad you found what you were looking for here about the history of bricks. And I envy you your visit to Pompeii! I'm so glad you found this interesting. I did wonder if anyone would be interested in bricks!

This is a very informative hub, Amanda. Thank you for increasing my knowledge in such an interesting way! Marine Biology. Electrical Engineering. Computer Science. Medical Science. Writing Tutorials. Performing Arts. Visual Arts. Student Life. Vocational Training. Standardized Tests. Online Learning. Social Sciences. Legal Studies. Political Science. Welcome to Owlcation.

The Ancient History of Bricks You may think of bricks as a very modern material. However, the truth is that bricks were invented a very long time ago. Type Use Cement Molded from Portland cement and then shaped to fit the purpose. Terracotta These bricks are actually a form of pottery and are hollow. Lightweight and versatile. Wirecut Extruded These bricks are manufacted by extruding a large slab and than wire cutting each brick out of it.

Stock bricks These are often irregular and have an old world charm Handmade The most expensive bricks are handmade because of the time and effort needed to produce them. London Brick These are made from an oily clay found only in the South East of the UK Clinker Bricks that have been made with a fast burn at high temperatures. Engineering Very strong and water resistant.