Open AccessThe Role of Brick in Determining Features of Iraqi Architecture
Author(s) -
Fawzia Irhayyim Al-Assadi,
Mumtaz Hazim Al-Dewachi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
iop conference series. materials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1757-899X
pISSN - 1757-8981
DOI - 10.1088/1757-899x/881/1/012018
Subject(s) - brick , architecture , architectural engineering , identity (music) , variety (cybernetics) , natural materials , globalization , natural (archaeology) , civil engineering , aesthetics , engineering , visual arts , computer science , geography , archaeology , political science , art , law , chemistry , artificial intelligence , polymer science
The issue of local architectural identity remains an urgent need especially in the era of globalization. Factors that have significant contribution in determining identity include the potentiality of local building materials due to their influence on architectural works through ages based on the fact that building materials were produced from natural resources which are highly related to locational and environmental circumstances. The brick was the most dominant material in Iraqi architecture since the ancient Mesopotamian achievements. This came from brick’s aesthetic and expressive aspects inherent in its content. The brick, with its regular structure and measurements, was the main means of creating a variety of Iraqi buildings that were established to attend the bricks and made it a global building material. In spite of the fact that brick showed high structural, environmental and aesthetic potentialities, which proved their success through various experiments in Iraq, no adequate studies are carried on to explore this. The objective of this paper is to highlight the potentiality of brick as the dominant building material in Iraq for ages. A sample of modern and contemporary architectural works are selected to assess the Iraqi brick work aesthetic, environmental and structural aspects as an identity features.