Clay knowledge

our team clarifies

WHAT IS CLAY?

Clay is not just soil; Clay is a mixture of sand, gravel, silt and clay.

It is formed by weathering and deposition of solid and loose rocks. Clay can be found, for example, beneath the humus layer (in the so-called A horizon).

Depending on the geographical location, there are different types of clay: mountain clay, slope clay, floodplain clay, boulder clay and loess-marl clay. This material has given rise to various building techniques around the world, as the composition of clay varies depending on the location.

Clay has the property of having an adhesive strength, which is due to the proportion of clay minerals.

Different colors of clay are caused by different elements such as iron, calcium, sodium, magnesium or potassium.

Benefits of clay

Clay improves indoor climate:

The indoor climate consists of room air temperature, temperature, room air movement, humidity content of the air and gaseous and dusty pollution.
Clay can absorb air humidity relatively quickly and release it again when necessary. As a result, clay regulates the humidity of the room air and thus contributes to a healthy indoor climate, e.g. in high humidity areas such as in the bathroom.
The clay also has the opposite effect if the humidity in the room is too low

stores heat:

Clay stores heat and thus helps to improve the living environment and saves energy when using passive solar energy. Clay plaster is particularly effective for wall and floor heating.

Clay is reusable:

Dry clay only needs to be crushed and moistened with water, and then it can be processed again. Clay does not pollute the environment as "construction waste".
Clay enables circular construction

Clay shields radiation:

Clay has the natural property of shielding rooms against high-frequency radiation from mobile phone networks, cordless phones, UMTS and GPS.

Absorbs odors:

Clay purifies the air because clay is an important component of clay. Clay has a crystalline, multi-layered structure.
Between the layers there is a strong capillary force that transports the water and the pollutants bound in it

(smoke, steam or fine dust) and cleans it.

Good sound insulation:

Due to its high weight, clay has good soundproofing properties and thus contributes to a pleasant living environment.

Clay preserves wood:

Due to the low equilibrium moisture content of clay (0.4 to 6 percent by weight -> depending on the clay content, type of clay and humidity of the air), wood surrounded by clay is dehumidified or kept dry, so that it is protected from fungal and insect infestation.
You could say that clay is used for preservation. Clay allows you to create individual design options for your own four walls.

Clay - Ionization

Clay can ionize the air. Ions are positively or negatively charged particles. A distinction is made between large and small ions. Pleasant, invigorating air, such as at the seaside or after a thunderstorm, in the mountains or in the forest, has a high proportion of small ions with a slight excess of negatively charged ions.

Clay has excellent sorption properties
- Compared to other mineral building materials, clay building materials have a significantly higher sorption capacity. Sorbing means “to draw in” or “to absorb” in Latin. This has a significant influence on the indoor climate.
  Water vapor penetrates the building material through diffusion and accumulates on the inner pore surface if the room humidity is higher than the respective equilibrium humidity of clay. Conversely, if the room humidity is too low, water molecules detach from the inner surface and diffuse back into the room air.
  
  Clay as a building material meets ecological and building biology requirements.
  
  Building material for architecture and design

Clay and its construction history

Clay can be found in almost all soils in the world, making clay, along with wood, one of the oldest building materials that people have used and continue to use in construction.

Clay can be considered the oldest solid building material.

There are various types of construction, influenced primarily by the cultures of the world's religions, customs and the connection with nature. In many cultures, clay was used as a building material for residential buildings.

The first cities of mankind, such as Jericho, were built from clay. Clay was used in all ancient cultures as a building material not only for residential buildings, but also for fortifications and cultural buildings. Clay construction has been known in Central Europe for around 8,000 years. Hundreds of thousands of clay half-timbered houses and clay-stamped/welled houses have survived in Central Europe, often unrecognized, to this day. Due to the industrialization of construction, the apparently inferior building material clay quickly lost its importance at the end of the 19th century. Clay has hardly been used for around 90 years, i.e. 3 generations of bricklayers. With growing environmental awareness, the gentle, waste-free building material clay is awakening from its deep sleep....

In construction, clay is one of the oldest binding agents used; alongside cement and lime, it is one of the most important mineral building materials. Clay is often used unfired and the corresponding wood construction techniques (e.g. half-timbering) have been known for thousands of years. A third of the world's population still lives in houses made of clay. Large, important buildings were also built from clay and clay bricks in the past, for example the stepped temple tower in the Iranian city of Chogha Zanbil, the Great Mosque in the city of Djenné in Mali or parts of the Great Wall of China.

In Europe, clay first arrived in Russia, and the first buildings made of clay are said to have been built there 10,000 years ago. In Austria, too, there are numerous buildings made of clay, some of which are 5,000 to 6,000 years old. Many buildings date back to the time of the Celts. Clay was used for the walls of houses as well as for the floors and attics. Empress Maria Theresa, who is today considered a particularly progressive monarch, rediscovered clay as a building material in the 18th century and promoted its use through appropriate laws. In Germany, too, clay has been increasingly used for building houses. Clay can be found in almost all buildings built before 1950 in the lime-poor regions of the country. Whether as plaster on the interior walls, in half-timbered houses or as paint in threshing floors, barns and cellars, the long tradition of clay as a building material is also more than clear in Germany.

Although clay has numerous advantages as a building material, it has been increasingly forgotten over the years. It has increasingly been replaced by "modern" building materials that are produced with high energy consumption. It is only in recent years that builders and architects have rediscovered clay as a building material. The renaissance of clay as a building material is not surprising, however, as there are now numerous innovative product and application developments for clay. And regardless of whether it is clay plaster, clay paint or clay building board, all products made from clay have one thing in common: they are ecologically, aesthetically, biologically and technically up to date.

Above all, clay is a sustainable, CO2 neutral building material.

Benefits of clay

Clay improves indoor climate:

The indoor climate consists of room air temperature, temperature, room air movement, humidity content of the air and gaseous and dusty pollution.
Clay can absorb air humidity relatively quickly and release it again when necessary. As a result, clay regulates the humidity of the room air and thus contributes to a healthy indoor climate, e.g. in high humidity areas such as in the bathroom.

stores heat:

Clay stores heat and thus helps to improve the living environment and saves energy when using passive solar energy. Clay plaster is particularly effective when used for wall heating.

Clay is reusable:
- Dry clay only needs to be crushed and moistened with water, and then it can be processed again. Clay does not pollute the environment as "construction waste".
  
  Clay shields radiation:
  - Clay shields rooms against high-frequency radiation from mobile phone networks, cordless phones, UMTS and GPS much better than other solid wall building materials.
    Absorbs odors:
    - Clay purifies the air because clay is an important component of clay. Clay has a crystalline, multi-layered structure.
    - There is a strong capillary force between the layers, which absorbs and cleans the water and the pollutants (smoke, steam or fine dust) bound in it

What are building materials

To create a building we use materials.

These materials give us a feeling of well-being or discomfort.
They determine our quality of life.

Every building project should be individually tailored to the user and its use, so it is important to use the right building material so that your home becomes an oasis of well-being and relaxation.