A bit more about big buildings

A few years ago, I noticed something very interesting; that modern masonry buildings tend to have an expansion joint filled with a rubber-like material every 20-40 feet, while older ones can go on for blocks with no such expansion joint. I also noticed that modern cinderblock buildings tend to crack a lot, and providentially, I visited the home of a friend who is a mason, and asked him what was up.

He explained to me that the mortar is different; older buildings use lime mortar, which apparently is a little bit more flexible and tolerant of thermal cycles, while for the past 80 years or so, most builders have used Portland cement, which is more rigid and thus brittle.  Hence newer masonry buildings need expansion joints, and will crack if they are insufficient.  You'll see the same thing in finished garages if they don't have adequate climate control (like mine), or even large rooms finished with sheetrock.  Brittle materials don't do well with thermal cycling.

Lesson for those who would build gigantic monuments to themselves is that engineering-wise, it gets difficult with modern materials, and hence building on a smaller scale, and using materials that will flex better with thermal cycles, will be wise.  We might say that physics tells us to create our homes and businesses on a more human scale.