I've seen mud buildings that use glass bottles as part of the structure of the wall. Is this for structural stability? For heating and cooling properties? What's the purpose?
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1 Answer
My understanding is that it is an easy, cheap and pretty way to let light in. It avoids the trouble of putting in a larger square window with a frame and trim and everything. It also can be done with reused materials, which is popular among those who like to build mud houses.
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2In most forms of construction that these are used in, the glass bottles are actually causing more heat/cool loss than there would be without them. It is possible to fill the bottles with water or other dark liquid in order for them to store heat, but this is actually rare and risky. Also, the walls that these glass bottles are normally in already have a large thermal mass, so sacrificing insulation for even more thermal mass is not a beneficial trade-off. Commented May 8, 2013 at 13:14
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Also, glass bottles are almost always listed in the artistic/sculpting/light section of books/articles. Commented May 8, 2013 at 13:15