ABSTRACT
Stone is hard, clay is soft, and both are natural materials. Rough clay can be used in kneaded form, in pisé, as rammed construction or adobe. Clay bricks with fixed dimensions, fired in a furnace, can be used for a stronger building. Soil is composed of earth and other materials, it is not suitable for building. Plants deep in the earth without oxygen are changed into semi-carbonated peat, which can be used for burning, less for building. Sod or turf consists of several layers of roots (with dry stems and leaves), soil and grass fibres. Turf in a thickness of about 10 cm can be used as classical bricks. For standardised dimensions, it is dug out with special spades, equipped with distance edges. While the turf is not entirely dry, it has to be positioned in rows, inclined each toward each other in different directions. This method shows extremely interesting and decorative patterns.
