The adobe architecture was some of the earliest structures. This type of structures where made from natural materials like dung, straw, sand, and clay. There are other materials that are used as well. The adobe is formed into bricks. Then the bricks are dried in the sun much like cob or even mud bricks.
The structures become extremely durable.They are used mainly in hot, arid climates because they remain cool in the summer and release heat very slowly in the winter.
The same mixture, without the straw is used for mortar in placing the dried adobe bricks together to form a structure. Then there are some that use a lime-based cement as for plaster to add protection for those wet months.
The thickness of the adobe bricks is key in the architecture. This is what will keep the structure cool in the hot months and warm in the cold months.
The largest structure ever erected from Adobe was the Bam Citadel. But it suffered serious damage from an earthquake in 2003.
The Huaca del Sol in Peru is another grand adobe structure that was created from over 100 million signed bricks.
When it comes to the worlds largest adobe architecture happens to erected from 500 BC and it is known as the citadel of Arg-e-Bam.
The area of Bam Citadel is 180,000 square meters and is surrounded by walls 6-7 meters high and 1815 meters in length, all out of Adobe. When the gates to the city were closed, no human or animal could enter. This is a city that is self-contained, but it has access to gardens and cattle all within the city.
When it comes to adobe architecture it is a little bit different when it comes to placing a roof on the structure. You will find that the roofs where made of wood or metal, but then there are dried adobe bricks placed on top of the structure and plastered to stay in place on the roof.
