An A-Z glossary on the theme of ‘building materials’, containing a definition for each letter of the alphabet (where possible).
Accordia in Cambridge, a wall in the sub-floor car parking © Graham Paul Smith
Building materials are items and products used within the construction of buildings and structures.
The A Z glossary for buildings and places can be used as:
- a straightforward research tool for teachers and students
- a reference point for students during a unit or scheme of work on buildings and places
- introductory activities for a new learning session or scheme of work on buildings and places
- a way of developing classroom discussion.
Building materials: A-Z glossary
Aluminium A light, silvery metal, ideal for portable structures.
Brick A solid, hollow or indented rectangular building block. It can be made from clay, concrete, sand or lime. First used around 9,000 years ago.
Concrete A wet mixture of sand, gravel, cement and water which is used to create building foundations, footpaths or roads, and other elements in building construction. The wet mixture then dries to create a strong, solid material.
Daub A soft coating of mud or clay to hold a wall together. It has traditionally been used with wooden sticks known as ‘wattle’ in medieval buildings like Shakespeare House in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Eco-cement Cement is a powdered mixture of limestone and clay used with water, gravel or sand to form concrete. Eco-cement is an environmentally-friendly type of cement that sets by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air. It can also be fully recycled back into cement powder should the concrete no longer be of use.
Fabric A term that refers to the materials used to create a building.
Glass A smooth, hard and brittle transparent material.
Hydraulic cement A type of cement (see eco-cement above) that is designed to keep its strength under water.
Iron A strong, hard, magnetic silvery material. When used in building, it has two forms: cast iron is used for columns, bollards and railings and wrought iron is used for gates, ornamental scrolls and other decorative work.
Knapped flint A hard stone that is split down the middle to reveal the dark glossy centre. Used mainly to decorate the outside of buildings.
Lead A heavy, silvery-grey metal which can be easily bent and joined by heat. It was used as a roof covering in the Middle Ages, and employed for joints between chimneys and rainwater-pipes. It is no longer used in buildings because of its toxicity.
Academy Mount Cenis, Herne © CABE
Marble An expensive hard rock which can be polished. It varies in colour and is often veined. It has been used largely for statues, and decorative elements within a building.
Oak A hard durable wood that comes from a large tree bearing acorns and lobed leaves. It is often used for solid fittings within a building, such as floors and doors.
Plastic A synthetic material that is moulded into shape while soft and then set into a solid form. Since the mid-20th century it has been used for pipes and other building elements.
Quarry tile An ceramic square piece of clay or earth that has a natural earthen look. It can be used for floors and walls.
Render The covering finish applied to a surface such as a wall, often made from plaster.
Steel A strong metal that is mostly made of iron used for large structures such as bridges.
Terracotta A hard, unglazed pottery from which decorative tiles are made.
Underlayment A material that is placed under a carpet to provide protection and support.
Veneer A thin decorative covering of fine wood that is glued to coarser wood.
Wood The hard fibrous material forming the trunk or branches of a tree, which is used to create timber for construction.
York stone A natural and hard-wearing paving stone was traditionally used for terrace houses built by Yorkshire mill owners for their workers. It is widely used for stone patios and garden landscaping today.
Activity for ‘building materials’
Key stages 2 and 3
- Provide pairs of students with the name of a building material from the A Z glossary theme ‘building materials’ (theme 10).
- Give students three minutes to think of a specific building that uses that material and to describe how it is used.
- Each pair tells the rest of the class (or within small groups) which building they have thought of and where they think the material would be used.
- As a class, consider the rare materials on the list. Discuss what those materials are and how they are used.
- In small groups, students investigate the complete ‘building materials’ list. Use the school grounds and local environment, taking photos of materials and asking students to describe how each material is used. Students can present their project using video, a visual display or a written summary.
More A-Z glossaries
Go back to the complete list of A-Z glossaries for buildings and places, and associated class activities.
