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.

A transizione da u vetru à a petra hè ancu u risultatu di preoccupazioni ambientali. U sindaco di a cità di New York, Bill De Blasio, si trasfirìu di pocu tempu pruibisce i novi grattacieli di vetru 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™ facciata nantu à cimentu prefabbricatu | Yankee Stadium | Architettu : Pupulatu

“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.

I petri naturali Polycor sò applicabili per una varietà di sistemi di ancoraggio è supportu di facciata. Vede cumu.

“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® è CAMBRIAN BLACK® pannelli di granitu 3cm nantu à u sistema Eclad stallatu sopra struttura esistenti | Edificiu TD | Architettu: 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 marmura italiana doesn’t cut it anymore.

Rivestimentu di Muru in Pietra Naturale Golden Sunshine Sandstone

À L'AVANTI DI L'INNOVAZIONE DI REVESTITI IN PIETRA NATURALE

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.“

suluzioni cladding nuvatori permettenu di più pussibulità di disignu | In figura: Litecore Indiana Limestone à taglio sottile aderitu à un supportu in nid d'ape in aluminiu

L'innuvazioni di rivestimentu ponu offre una soluzione elegante è ecunomica per incorpore i culori è e texture di a petra naturale senza e cumplicazioni di trasportu costu è installazione longa. Mentre personificanu u caratteru autenticu di a petra naturale, alcuni di questi sistemi restanu ligeri per a facilità d'utilizazione, facendu una scelta intelligente per affruntà i stretti requisiti chì l'architetti devenu risponde à i codici di custruzzione muderni.

I petri naturali Polycor sò applicabili per una varietà di sistemi di ancoraggio è supportu di facciata. Originaria di u Cave di Polycor 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.

Quandu sceglie una petra per cladding, l'architetti anu bisognu di pisà parechji fatturi: apparenza, usu destinatu, dimensione di u prugettu, forza, durabilità è prestazione. Scegliendu e petre Polycor per a facciata, l'architetti prufittà di a nostra piena pruprietà di a catena di supply, da tuttu u caminu in a roccia finu à u puntu di stallazione. U valore di travaglià cù una sucità cum'è Polycor, hè chì, postu chì avemu a nostra cantera, pudemu risponde direttamente à qualsiasi dumande o preoccupazioni chì un architettu puderia avè durante u prucessu di sviluppà una spec per una facciata invece di avè 2-3 media men.

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, Pietra di Hofmann and others to offer a complete cladding solution for the project.“

Vega hè stata interessata in tecnulugii di rivestimentu innovatori è hà travagliatu cù esperti di ricerca è sviluppu in i nostri stabilimenti di fabricazione per fà un rivestimentu di pietra naturale di spessore variabile chì pò esse usatu sia in l'internu sia fora di un edifiziu. Hè generalmente appiccicatu per via di un sistema di rail indipendente è di pinza.

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, una suluzione chì offre a petra à una frazzioni di u pesu è a stallazione à duie volte a velocità.

Image courtesy of: Litecore

Stone on Honeycomb cù u sistema Litecore

Questi pannelli di muru versatili è composti utilizanu petra Polycor tagliata in una vernice ultra-sottile. Aderenti à un favo stratificato, inseriti trà fogli d'aluminiu è rete di fibra di vetro, i pannelli furniscenu un sistema di facciata di bassa densità, alta resistenza è ligeru.

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

1 cm di petra di carbonu cù sistemi Eclad è Elemex

Le lastre in fibra di carbonio Polycor 1cm sò prudutti di petra naturale ultra sottili, ligeri è durable chì si basanu nantu à un supportu proprietariu aderitu utilizatu in u locu di l'aluminiu. I pannelli di petra risultanti sò adattati per integrà in i sistemi di rivestimentu Eclad è Elemex.

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

Pietra nantu à u Concretu Ultra High Performance

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 hà l'expertise per creà qualsiasi prughjettu da un muru simplice à banche, prughjetti architettonici eccezziunali è interni di lobby di alta crescita. Ogni suluzione permette à l'architetti di disignà esterni di edifici innovativi, sustinibili è esteticamente piacevuli chì incorporanu superfici di petra.

“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™ cladding mischjà un aghjuntu mudernu cù stonework tradiziunali | Senatu di u Canada, Ottawa, CA | Architettu: Diamond Schmitt

Ancoratu in u passatu ma prontu per u futuru, i rivestimenti in pietra naturale risponde à i bisogni di l'architettura è di u disignu muderni. E mentri l'innuvazioni di cladding cuntinueghjanu à fà a petra fina più faciule ch'è mai per aduprà, u cladding ùn hè micca u solu futuru di a petra naturale.