AdobeWhat is it? Adobe is a building material made of clay, aggregate, water, and sometimes straw. An ancient building material, it is still used in the oldest continuously used human community in North America; the Taos Pueblo. Adobe can be made in small or large batches, and can be a laborious building method. Although usually styled and built as a single story building in North America, adobe can be much higher; an eleven-story building exists in Yemen!
How does it work? With its high thermal mass, or density, adobe buildings can help smooth out the temperature swings in a building. With a properly placed roof overhand, adobe buildings are shaded from the sun in summer, and help keep a building cool on hot summer nights. In the winter, the thick walls can absorb the low-angle sun and heat up enough to radiate warmth out during cold winter nights.
Why does Exup use it? Adobe is an all natural healthy building material. With no toxins involved in the making of adobe, there's nothing to leach out into a living area. Adobe fits into Exup designs only in special circumstances; a local supply of adobe materials, plentiful labor, a low-threat building environment, and an extended building timeline.
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