why bricks are preferred construction material to a)limestone, b)adobe(mud), c)timber?

Answer 1

This question is like the chinese philosophical game "rock, paper, scissors"

Each one is superior to the others, but in each's own specific conditions.

Limestone is superior. For strength, durability, workability, and looks, its a premium material to use, and it adds value and class to your house. It can be carved into real artwork or installed smooth or rough textured. Its weakness is the price and inconvenience. Installers usually need to use two hands/arms or maybe even two people to lift and place each piece. If you have limited budget, then the other choices are superior. Limestone costs more for the material, and costs more to install properly.

Timber may be best in earthquake zones, and in areas where you want the look of the building to be more in harmony with nature. Its weekness is potential for damage by fire or termites, or rot by fungus or dryness.

Adobe / mud is superior for local supply of bricks in southern climates because of the lowest environmental impact, its readily available or makeable at low cost, and provides employment in poor countries with high unemployment. Especially in tropical, developing nations, its the best material to build with there. But that kind of material would not stand up to any of the weathering we get in the northern USA and Canada, intense rain and wind and frost would disintegrate it fast.

Brick (burned clay or even hard concrete bricks) have the good qualities of all the other materials.
Bricks are modular units, with standardized unit sizes; a single installer / bricklayer can handle a unit of brick single-handedly while tooling with the other hand, and the standardized unit sizes makes it uncomplicated to install, its routine.!
Bricks are hard and strong, almost as tough as stone, stronger than necessary for the purpose in most cases. Bricks shield out noise from traffic, storms, and neighbour's parties.
Bricks are durable, won't rot or get eaten by termites, and stand up to wind-driven rain and projectiles during a hurricane.
Bricks provide infinite selection of warm colour shades or colour blends, and numerous choices of textures, and different bricks can be used for patterns. Colour lasts forever if its clay brick too. Also, the relatively softer "spring-ier" mortar in between bricks provides a wall composition that flexes and relaxes with expansion and contraction that happens during day and night, warm and cold weather changes. Brick walls done right perform as a water shedding system together with flashing behind the bricks, and vents, keeping indoor walls dry, and allows for insulation in the composition of the wall, whereas concrete allows water to get through and stay in (thats why luxury high-rise apartments and hotels use bricks). IF built properly, it can last centuries, even on huge buildings. You can see some very tall buildings, (sky-scrapers perhaps?) made with clay bricks at these websites: luxury high-rise buildings in New York, Delta Hotels highrise buildings in Toronto and Calgary Canada, Carnegie Hall Tower in New York etc. Some pictures: http://www.siouxcitybrick.com/

Answer 2

Actually, brick commercial buildings or brick skyscrapers are no longer practical, because even reinforced brick walls do not have excellent seismic resistance, and is prone to structural cracking. Brick is used today mostly for looks, or where other construction materials such as lumber is locally costly. Brick has a number of advantages, such as compression strength, resistance to fire, water, rot, insects, but those good qualities have to be balanced against serious structural challenges of large brick walls. Reinforced concrete offers every advantage brick has, yet also offer superior structural performance, which is why bridges and industrial buildings are built with concrete. The answer to your question really depends on the application, are we talking about homes, or office buildings, or skyscrapers, or other structures such as bridges? Because most applications wouldn't be using any of the given choices, then we can focus on residential applications, and say that brick is superior to the rest for the reasons already given, except that timber homes are better for seismic resistance, and better for snowy climates because of insulation qualities.

Answer 3

because bricks have been fired in a kiln which makes them a stronger, longer lasting material, less likely to be eroded by the elements, or destroyed by fire. They are also more portable, and easier to work with, being smaller.