styles of brick and stone laying
In the good old days, buildings were often
built to be beautiful and a great deal of effort was taken when
bricklaying. Fancy bondings, cut and moulded bricks and the use of
different colours produced marvels such as St Pancras Hotel, pictured
above.
Stretcher bond is the commonest bond used
today and the least interesting in appearance. It can be made more
interesting by laying a course of different coloured bricks or to lay such
bricks to form a pattern on a wall.
Stretcher bond
Flemish bond consists of alternating headers
and stretchers along each course with the headers centred on the
stretchers above and below.
Flemish bond
English bond consists of alternating courses
of headers and stretchers, with the alternative headers centred over and
under the vertical joints of the stretchers.
English bond
American common bond is similar to the
English Bond but the courses of headers are separated by approximately
five courses of stretchers.
American common bond
Shown below are a selection of ornamental
brickwork styles. Simple structures can be modelled using plastic building
sheet but if we wish to replicate these marvels, we have to do it the hard
way by using foam board. The results are well worth it though. Some of the
detailing can be carved in modelling clay and added to the project.
Cotswold dry stone wall
Portland stone
carved stone Tracery
windows
stonework can also be combined with brick
In hot dry climates, bricks are not fired and
just dry in the sun. The buildings can then be plastered by mud mixed with
a binder such as straw. This tends to produce buildings of a more organic
appearance which increases as erosion takes place. Often, timbers protrude
through the walls which are used as supports for planking to allow for
easy re-plastering. Adobe has also been used for inside walls in Europe.
Versailles palace is actually the largest adobe building in the world. The
mud was extracted from what are now its ornamental lakes! The outside
walls are clad in stone.
building in New Mexico
an adobe ruin is an interesting project to model
the engine shed at County
Gate
|