Natural Stone Cladding: Anchored In The Past, But Ready For The Future-stone cladding

The longevity of stone puts any human concept of old age to shame. Stone creates a sense of permanence and solidity, even when worn and weathered. It’s been used throughout history as the structure and facade of buildings- buildings that have literally stood the test of time.

While natural stone has been the material of choice for millennia, glass has dominated commercial construction—especially large scale projects like skyscrapers—in recent years. But architects are increasingly reacting to this glut of glass by returning to stone for their projects. For many developers and architects, glass had become the default, a sterile, too obvious choice which resulted in a flat, texture-less and uninspired design.

Prelazak sa stakla na kamen je također rezultat brige za okoliš. Gradonačelnik New Yorka Bill De Blasio nedavno se preselio zabraniti nove staklene nebodere in the city, making New York the first city to mandate energy efficiency. But it won’t be the last: According to the United Nations, 40% of the world’s energy consumption can be attributed to buildings. Pressure to construct buildings in a sustainably responsible manner is being felt by developers and architects around the world.

INDIANA LIMESTONE – FULL COLOR BLEND™ fasada na montažnom betonu | Yankee Stadium | Arhitekta: Naseljeno

“It’s pretty well known in the industry that those glass facade buildings are not energy efficient,” said Hugo Vega, vice president of Architectural Sales at Polycor. “Meaning that in the summer it becomes super hot and you need to have an extensive system of air conditioning and in the winter you need a lot of heating as compared to a traditional building with more stone.”

The design community has been embracing stone for facade design instead, and just in time, as changes in building codes and regulations are set to further tighten architects’ design choices. Natural stone plays an important role in the future of sustainable architecture thanks to its life-cycle, durability, ease of care, low maintenance, and energy efficiency— the list goes on. The minimal environmental impact that innovative cladding wall systems provide is another reason the building industry is moving back to natural materials.

Prirodno kamenje Polycor primjenjivo je za različite sisteme sidrenja i potpore fasada. Vidite kako.

“Energy inefficient glass facades concerns are a good driver for the growing popularity of stone cladding,” said Vega.

Vega understands this continued demand for stone cladding better than just about anyone: he’s been the driving force behind the development of the cladding division of Polycor and he has an in-depth understanding of what architects and builders are looking for in their products.

BETHEL WHITE® i CAMBRIAN BLACK® granit 3cm paneli na Eclad sistemu postavljeni preko postojeće konstrukcije | TD Building | Arhitekta: WZMH

“The type of stone will dictate possible finishes, thickness, and more,” said Vega. “For example, it’s inadvisable to use polished 3cm marble and expose it to the elements for cladding. Direct communication with selected quarries will help validate the block sizes and thus the maximum finished panel sizes, what natural features can be expected in the stone, and the availability of the material according to job size and phases.” Specification challenges can present themselves throughout a project, such as alternate stones being introduced by other parties and detracting from the initial design intent. Maintaining a close contact with the quarry teams helps ensure this is preserved. As Hugo points out, “Make sure to specify the true, branded names of the materials to avoid being supplied with undesired alternates.” The old days of calling out Italijanski mermer doesn’t cut it anymore.

Zidna obloga od prirodnog kamena Golden Sunshine Sandstone

NA PREDLOGU INOVACIJA OBLOŽENJA PRIRODNOG KAMENA

Stone cladding isn’t just the smart alternative to energy efficient glass, it’s also the simple choice, thanks to new cladding attachment systems.

“These new attachment systems allow stone to be used for lighter applications, when the structure has not been designed for a heavy full bed,” said Vega. “They also allow for a faster installation compared to traditional methods.“

Inovativna rješenja za oblaganje omogućavaju veće mogućnosti dizajna | Na slici: Litecore tanko rezani Indiana krečnjak zalijepljen na aluminijumsku podlogu u obliku saća

Inovacije u oblogama mogu ponuditi elegantno i isplativo rješenje za ugradnju boja i tekstura prirodnog kamena bez komplikacija skupog transporta i dugotrajne instalacije. Iako personificiraju autentični karakter prirodnog kamena, neki od ovih sistema ostaju lagani za jednostavnu upotrebu, što ih čini pametnim izborom za ispunjavanje strogih zahtjeva koje arhitekti moraju ispuniti u modernim građevinskim propisima.

Prirodno kamenje Polycor primjenjivo je za različite sisteme sidrenja i potpore fasada. Porijeklom u Polycor kamenolomi and all through production, the stones are manufactured to each of our partner system’s specifications from ultra-thin profiles up to full thickness dimensional elements complimenting a wide range of facade structures.

Prilikom odabira kamena za oblaganje, arhitekte moraju odvagnuti mnoge faktore: izgled, namjenu, veličinu projekta, snagu, izdržljivost i performanse. Odabirom Polycor kamena za fasade, arhitekte imaju koristi od našeg potpunog vlasništva nad lancem snabdijevanja, sve od temelja do tačke ugradnje. Vrijednost rada sa kompanijom kao što je Polycor je u tome što, budući da posjedujemo naše kamenolome, možemo direktno odgovoriti na sva pitanja ili nedoumice koje bi arhitekta mogao imati tokom procesa razvoja specifikacije za fasadu umjesto da imamo 2-3 posrednika.

Polycor Bethel White® granite quarry | Bethel, VT

“We have a wide array of our own limestone, granite and marble, so architects can discuss with the source and get accurate and reliable information,” said Vega. “We fabricate ourselves and sell blocks to other fabricators, ensuring competitiveness of the offers, while preserving the design intent. We work with industry leaders like Eclad, Hofmann Stone and others to offer a complete cladding solution for the project.“

Vega je bila zainteresirana za inovativne tehnologije oblaganja i radila je sa stručnjacima za istraživanje i razvoj u našim proizvodnim pogonima na izradi obloga od prirodnog kamena promjenjive debljine koje se mogu koristiti unutar ili izvan zgrade. Uglavnom se pričvršćuje putem nezavisnog sistema šine i stezaljki.

Polycor’s stone veneer can be installed over solid facing, which eliminates the challenge of removing the original substructure in some cases. Some stone panels are cut thin, while still maintaining the authentic look and feel of a thicker stone without the heavy weight of a 3-6 inch deep stone veneer, making installation fast and simple. Polycor’s thin stones are compatible in many cladding configurations and are manufactured for systems like Litecore, rješenje koje nudi kamen u samo djeliću težine i ugradnju dvostrukom brzinom.

Slika zahvaljujući: Litecore

Stone on Honeycomb sa Litecore sistemom

Ovi svestrani, kompozitni zidni paneli koriste Polycor kamen izrezan u ultra tanak furnir. Zalijepljeni na slojevito saće, u sendviču između aluminijumskih limova i mreže od fiberglasa, paneli daju fasadni sistem niske gustine, visoke čvrstoće i lagan.

KODIAK BROWN™ ultra thin 1cm granite with carbon fiber backing on Eclad system | Architect: Régis Côtés

Kamen od 1 cm od karbona sa Eclad i Elemex sistemima

Polycor ploče od karbonskih vlakana od 1 cm su ultra tanke, lagane i izdržljive proizvode od prirodnog kamena koji se oslanjaju na zaštićenu podlogu koja se koristi umjesto aluminija. Dobijeni kameni paneli su prilagođeni za integraciju u Eclad i Elemex sisteme oblaganja.

GEORGIA MARBLE – WHITE CHEROKEE™and Indiana Limestone facade on precast concrete | 900 16th St. Washington, D.C. | Architect: Robert AM Stern

Kamen na betonu ultra visokih performansi

3cm stone mechanically anchored to thin, precast concrete panels provides additional installation advantages. Companies such as Hoffman Stone systems are compatible with Polycor’s stones.

Polycor ima stručnost za kreiranje bilo kojeg projekta od jednostavnog zida do klupa, izvanrednih arhitektonskih projekata i interijera visokih predvorja. Svako rješenje omogućava arhitektima da dizajniraju inovativne, održive i estetski ugodne eksterijere zgrada koje uključuju kamene površine.

“These solutions can also be used interchangeably to blend with more traditional architectural elements and stone masonry construction such as full bed trim, cornices, lintels and things of that nature,” said Vega. “And again, once the material is specified, it can be used on any cladding system, traditional masonry and fabricated by pretty much all the fabricators operating on the market today. This way architects can lock in their design intent, and let engineers and builders establish means and methods to realize the design within budget.”

INDIANA LIMESTONE – STANDARD BUFF™ obloga koja spaja moderan dodatak sa tradicionalnim kamenim radovima | Senat Kanade, Ottawa, CA | Arhitekt: Diamond Schmitt

Usidrena u prošlosti, ali spremna za budućnost, obloga od prirodnog kamena zadovoljava potrebe moderne arhitekture i dizajna. I dok inovacije u oblaganju i dalje čine tanak kamen lakšim nego ikad za upotrebu, oblaganje nije jedina budućnost prirodnog kamena.