What Is Building Materials ?

Building material is any material which is used in construction. Many naturally occurring substances have been used in construction works, such as clay, sand, timber and rocks. Besides, there are also many man-made products have been used, for instance, plastic, glass and paints. Nowadays, the trend towards increasingly energy-conscious design has resulted in a greater focus on energy-saving materials and components. This include photovoltaic (PVs) and solar collector. In addition, the realisation of the finite nature of global resources and the greenhouse effect of ever-increasing carbon dioxide emission has promoted the use of green products, such as recycled plastics, cardboard and tyres as materials in construction.

Due to the great diversity in the usage of buildings, installations and various processes of production, a great variety of requirements are placed upon building materials. So, building materials have been subdivided into separate groups based on their properties, for example, size, durability, density, strength, fire resistance, thermal conductivity, moisture and thermal movement, water absorption, acoustic properties and others.