outline the reasons why, for low rise buildings construction, ordinary bricks may be a preferred consruction?

Question

preferred construction to:
a) dressed limestone
b) adobe (mud) construction
c) timber

Answer 1

a) a lot cheaper than limestone. Higher temperature resistance and better against acid rain (just look at an old limestone cathedral in Europe). Easier to lay with simplier tools and less engineering.

b) Far more rain proof and better compressive strength than adobe.

c) Far more fire and rot resistent than wood. In Hawaii, for instance, masonary buidlings are easy to maintain. Wood buildings are a constant battle with termintes. In wildfire zones, masonary has obvious advantages.

In general, standard bricks are easy to lay, well-understood, and readily available. Their mass helps carry the heat of the day into the night and vice versa. It is a traditional and valued architectural style in many areas.

They do, however, behave very poorly in an earthquake or bombing unless steel reinforcement is used. In geologically stable areas, brick buildings have lasted for over a thousand years.