Adobe construction is one of the oldest and most versatile building techniques used by humans. Adobe is created by adding water to a cob mix so that it can be moulded into tight bricks that are held together using a clay mixture. The adobe's mass helps keep buildings naturally cool in summer and warm in winter, reducing the need for air.

 

The mud for the bricks might include sand, small gravel or clay -- whatever makes up the soil in an area. Water, and often straw or grass, are mixed with the dirt. The resulting mud dries naturally in the sun and air. Because fire isn't used to cure them, adobe bricks aren't hard. In fact, they shrink and swell with the weather. An extremely wet climate prone to flooding might turn the bricks back into mud. Not only that, frequent freezing and thawing can make the bricks crumble.