In the history of professional construction practices, brick is one of the oldest of all building materials. It is also arguably the most durable, since there are brick walls, foundations, pillars, and road surfaces constructed thousands of years ago that are still intact.

When asked to think of a brick building, you might conjure up an image of a red brick schoolhouse or a similar traditional structure, but "brick" doesn't refer to a single material. In fact, bricks can be made of many different materials and for different purposes.