ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with how masonry is built, the architectural forms used and the resulting appearance. The basic structural form of many types of masonry is expressed on the surface of buildings and other structures and can be a very attractive and reassuring aspect of these. The basic method of construction has hardly changed for several thousand years: units are laid one on top of another in such a way that they form an interlocking mass in at least the two horizontal dimensions. Walls are built by laying out a plan at foundation level and bringing the masonry up layer by layer. Some masonry built with precisely sized bricks, cut stone or terracotta ware is built to a higher accuracy, usually with mortar joints on the order of 3–5 mm thick. The process of constructing masonry has traditionally been regarded as difficult to mechanise and ‘bring into the 21st century’.
