CLASSIFICATION

OF ARCHITECTURAL
MATERIALS
MATERIALS IN NATURE

These materials are direct products of nature, given as

gift to man. Often, these materials may be used directly
without preliminary work of any kind, only requiring
and shaping.
Stone

Is one of the oldest and perhaps the most permanent

building material. It is used in most of the great
architectures of the world. Concrete is a building
material made of sand and gravel mixed with cement.
Like stone, it has high compressive strength.
Limestone
This type of stone has fine,
even texture. Its color
ranges from a light cream
to a buff and from a light
gray to darker, bluish gray.
It is most useful in walls
and exterior parts of the
building.
Granite
This is a cuseful oarse-grained
stone for large, bold forms
with little carving. It is the
hardest and the most durable
of the types of stones. The
nature of this material makes
it very adaptable to
monumental work.
Marble
This is metamorphosed
limestone which is capable of
taking a polish. There are two
types of this material:
Breciated Marble with angular
fragments and Serpentine
Marble which is characterized
by its variegated patterns.
Sandstone
It consists of various colors
from white to different
tints of red, brown, blue or
gray. It comes in a variety
of colors and is much
easier to quarry and shape
than the other stones.
Wood

Wood is not a permanent material but with proper care,

it can last for century. It is the common building
material before 90s. It owes its popularity to its
abundance, relative durability, and high tensile and
compression strength. However it can be easily
destroyed by moisture, insects and fire when
unprotected.
MATERIALS MANUFACTURED BY MAN

This type of materials constitutes the majority of

building materials. It requires the manipulation of man
before it acquires its finished form. Clay is a product of
nature but as a new product, it must be processed so
that it can be used in architecture.
Ceramic Materials

These materials can be manufactured in different

materials. Clay can be used to make bricks, roofing tiles,
toilets, and clay pots. Various forms of bricks and tiles
and glasses are available in the market, differing in
texture, color and design. Glass is hard, brittle, smooth
and usually transparent ceramic substance. It is
manufactured by fusing together silica and a base of
lime or lead oxide at extremely high temperatures.
Glass

Glass admits light while it keeps out rain and cold. Glass
has assumed many forms and shapes for many
architectural uses. Combined with metal, it is made into
furniture and equipment and used for covering and
paneling. It black shining surface may assist in
producing a mantel, a fountain, or trim of door.
Metals

In the early years, objects of iron and other metals were

cast in form. Today, rolling and pressing are considered
as the most important methods in manufacturing metal
products.
Bronze
Its permanency and beauty
are very prominent in
architectural features. This
material is popularly used
for banking screens, doors
and grills, and hardware
and lighting features.
Wrought Iron
This material is elastic and
fibrous. Cast iron is brittle.
Wrought iron is worked
upon the anvil while it’s hot
or cooling. Iron bars, rods,
and plates are heated and
then hammered and
attenuated forms.
Copper
This material is ductile and
adaptable for cornices,
spandrels, and roofing. It
has a protective green
carbonated upon its
surface which gives an
interesting quality of the
material.
Chrome-nickel Steel
It is a hard, non corrosive
metal which can lend itself
to welding, stamping, and
forging. It may be polished
or left dull. It is used in
interiors for doors, panels,
grills or railings.
Aluminum
It is a white metal noted
for its lightness. It is a non-
corrosive and non-staining
and can be cast or forged
into various shapes to
produce a desired design.
Monel Metal
This metal is a mixture of
nickel and copper with an
addition of iron, silica, and
manganese, giving an
appearance that
resembles that of a
nickels.
Concrete Metals

Concrete has high strength, and a surface and texture

capable of contributing to the aesthetic quality of the
building. Masonry finishes such as washout finishes
utilize cement mortar mixed with pebble stones, broken
glass, synthetic stones, etc.
Plastics

Plastics opened up new architectural forms and designs

due to its versatility. Plastics may be sowed, cut, bent,
drilled, and treaded. They can also be molded, cast,
extruded, and laminated depending upon their
composition or use. Cast plastics may come in sheets,
rods, strips, cylinders, and cones and can be used for
walls, ceilings, and doors.
INDIGENOUS MATERIALS

These materials are found in the locality and are widely

used in architecture.
Sawali
This material comes from
the outer covering of
bamboo poles. It is woven
into mats and ideal for
cement backing.
Coco coir
This by-product of coconut
is used to minimize the
use of cement and as
sandwich panels for
insulation.
Bagasse
This is a sugar cane waste
used for insulation or
cement backing.
Abaca
A fiber material obtain
from the leafstalk of
banana plant.
Bamboo
This indigenous material
has low degree of
elasticity, low concrete
adhesion, and wide
variable moisture content.
Mud bricks
This material is brittle, has
less strength, and cannot
stand up well to tension.
However, it is the choice of
building material in places
with hot, dry climates due
to its low thermal
conductivity.