Course Details

Building Materials

Academic Year 2026/27

BJA101 course is part of 1 study plan

​ BPC-SIS / SI Winter Semester 1st year

The aim of this specialized course is to introduce students to the main groups of building materials used in the construction industry, including both inorganic and organic-based materials, as well as their mutual combinations.
Knowledge of building materials, their manufacturing methods, their fundamental properties, the methods used to determine these properties, and the suitability of their application in various types of structures forms an essential foundation for further study at the Faculty of Civil Engineering.

Credits

4 credits

Language of instruction

Czech

Semester

winter

Course Guarantor

doc. Ing. Jiří Bydžovský, CSc.

Institute

Institute of Technology of Building Materials and Components

Forms and criteria of assessment

course-unit credit and examination

Entry Knowledge

Basic physical quantities, their units, fundamental laws of physics.

Aims

Professional Knowledge:

  • can describe the basic physical and mechanical properties of primary types of building materials,
  • recalls the basic physical and mechanical properties, specific characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of individual materials,
  • recalls the basic principles of production technology, processing, and finishing of materials and products,
  • can provide examples of the practical application of selected materials,
  • can reproduce basic technical data and the principles of determining material properties,
  • knows the basic principles of working in a laboratory environment.

Professional Skills:

  • can work with basic measuring instruments to determine dimensions, volume, and weight in a laboratory environment,
  • can process measured data in the form of a measurement report (protocol),
  • can assess the compliance of determined results with technical standards (regulations) or technical data sheets,
  • can calculate the basic physical and mechanical properties of building materials based on the provided inputs,
  • can apply both theoretical and practical knowledge at a basic level to real-world construction applications (assessing the compatibility of building materials when combined, suitability for use in a given environment, calculating self-weight, volume, material transport, load-bearing capacity, etc.).

General Competences:

  • ability to work and communicate within a team,
  • ability to clearly interpret and express opinions,
  • ability to formulate conclusions of individual activities,
  • ability to expand theoretical knowledge through self-study.

Basic Literature

Kolektiv autorů: Stavební materiály. Studijní opora, Brno, 2026. (cs)
SVOBODA, Luboš: Stavební hmoty. Jaga group, s.r.o., Bratislava, 2009. ISBN 978-80-8076-057-1, http://people.fsv.cvut.cz/~svobodal/sh/ (cs)

Recommended Reading

EVERETT, A.; BARRITT, C. M. H. Mitchells Materials. Taylor&Francis Group, 5th edition, e-book 2013. pp. 272. ISBN: 9780582219236 (https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315843902/materials-alan-everett-barritt) – acces trough library and Information Centre (LIC) (en)

Prerequisites

Basic physical quantities, their units, fundamental laws of physics.

Offered to foreign students

Not to offer

Course on BUT site

https://www.vut.cz/en/students/courses/detail/298856

Lecture

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, elective

Syllabus

  1. Introduction, raw materials, production and key properties of building materials.
  2. Building stone and aggregates for construction purposes.
  3. Inorganic binders.
  4. Mortars for masonry, plastering, floor screeds, repair mortars.
  5. Concrete I – Fresh concrete – composition, propereties, production, specification.
  6. Concrete II – Hardened concrete – classification, properties, testing, special types of concrete.
  7. Lightweight building materials.
  8. Ceramics, building ceramic products.
  9. Wood, wood products and wood-based materials.
  10. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals in construction, structural steel.
  11. Polymers, bitumens.
  12. Insulating materials and products.
  13. Service life of building materials and life cycle.

Lecture

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, elective

Syllabus

  1. Introduction, raw materials, production and key properties of building materials.
  2. Building stone and aggregates for construction purposes.
  3. Inorganic binders.
  4. Mortars for masonry, plastering, floor screeds, repair mortars.
  5. Concrete I – Fresh concrete – composition, propereties, production, specification.
  6. Concrete II – Hardened concrete – classification, properties, testing, special types of concrete.
  7. Lightweight building materials.
  8. Ceramics, building ceramic products.
  9. Wood, wood products and wood-based materials.
  10. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals in construction, structural steel.
  11. Polymers, bitumens.
  12. Insulating materials and products.
  13. Service life of building materials and life cycle.

Lecture

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, elective

Syllabus

  1. Introduction, raw materials, production and key properties of building materials.
  2. Building stone and aggregates for construction purposes.
  3. Inorganic binders.
  4. Mortars for masonry, plastering, floor screeds, repair mortars.
  5. Concrete I – Fresh concrete – composition, propereties, production, specification.
  6. Concrete II – Hardened concrete – classification, properties, testing, special types of concrete.
  7. Lightweight building materials.
  8. Ceramics, building ceramic products.
  9. Wood, wood products and wood-based materials.
  10. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals in construction, structural steel.
  11. Polymers, bitumens.
  12. Insulating materials and products.
  13. Service life of building materials and life cycle.

Lecture

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, elective

Syllabus

  1. Introduction, raw materials, production and key properties of building materials.
  2. Building stone and aggregates for construction purposes.
  3. Inorganic binders.
  4. Mortars for masonry, plastering, floor screeds, repair mortars.
  5. Concrete I – Fresh concrete – composition, propereties, production, specification.
  6. Concrete II – Hardened concrete – classification, properties, testing, special types of concrete.
  7. Lightweight building materials.
  8. Ceramics, building ceramic products.
  9. Wood, wood products and wood-based materials.
  10. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals in construction, structural steel.
  11. Polymers, bitumens.
  12. Insulating materials and products.
  13. Service life of building materials and life cycle.

Lecture

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, elective

Syllabus

  1. Introduction, raw materials, production and key properties of building materials.
  2. Building stone and aggregates for construction purposes.
  3. Inorganic binders.
  4. Mortars for masonry, plastering, floor screeds, repair mortars.
  5. Concrete I – Fresh concrete – composition, propereties, production, specification.
  6. Concrete II – Hardened concrete – classification, properties, testing, special types of concrete.
  7. Lightweight building materials.
  8. Ceramics, building ceramic products.
  9. Wood, wood products and wood-based materials.
  10. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals in construction, structural steel.
  11. Polymers, bitumens.
  12. Insulating materials and products.
  13. Service life of building materials and life cycle.

Exercise

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, compulsory

Syllabus

  1. Introduction.
  2. Determination of the properties of binders.
  3. Determination of the properties of building stone and aggregates.
  4. Concrete Technology – concrete mix design, determination of the properties of fresh concrete, preparation of test specimens.
  5. Mortars – mortars mix design, determination of the properties of fresh and hardened mortar.
  6. Determination of the properties of ceramic materials.
  7. Determination of the properties of metals.
  8. Determination of the properties of hardened concrete using prepared test specimens.
  9. Determination of the properties of plastics and thermal insulation products.
  10. Determination of the properties of wood.
  11. Determination of selected properties of materials concerning temperature, impact stress and mechanical damage.
  12. Determination of the properties of composites.
  13. Verification of the level of mastery of the practised material. Summary, credit.

Exercise

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, compulsory

Syllabus

  1. Introduction.
  2. Determination of the properties of binders.
  3. Determination of the properties of building stone and aggregates.
  4. Concrete Technology – concrete mix design, determination of the properties of fresh concrete, preparation of test specimens.
  5. Mortars – mortars mix design, determination of the properties of fresh and hardened mortar.
  6. Determination of the properties of ceramic materials.
  7. Determination of the properties of metals.
  8. Determination of the properties of hardened concrete using prepared test specimens.
  9. Determination of the properties of plastics and thermal insulation products.
  10. Determination of the properties of wood.
  11. Determination of selected properties of materials concerning temperature, impact stress and mechanical damage.
  12. Determination of the properties of composites.
  13. Verification of the level of mastery of the practised material. Summary, credit.

Self-study

26 weeks, 1 hours/week

Individual preparation for an ending of the course

26 weeks, 1 hours/week