Revestimiento de piedra natural: anclado en el pasado, pero listo para el futuro

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.

La transición del vidrio a la piedra también se debe a preocupaciones medioambientales. El alcalde de la ciudad de Nueva York, Bill De Blasio, se mudó recientemente a prohibir nuevos rascacielos de cristal 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.

azulejos de mosaico de guijarros de piedra natural de cuarcita de 30,5 × 30,5 cm

INDIANA LIMESTONE – FULL COLOR BLEND™ fachada sobre elementos prefabricados de hormigón | Estadio de los Yankees | Arquitecto: Populoso

“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.

Las piedras naturales Polycor son aplicables para una variedad de sistemas de soporte y anclaje de fachadas. Ver cómo.

“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® y CAMBRIAN BLACK® Paneles de granito de 3 cm sobre sistema Eclad instalados sobre estructura existente | Edificio TD | Arquitecto: 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 mármol italiano doesn’t cut it anymore.

A LA VANGUARDIA EN INNOVACIÓN EN REVESTIMIENTOS DE PIEDRA NATURAL

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.“

Las soluciones de revestimiento innovadoras permiten mayores posibilidades de diseño | En la imagen: piedra caliza Indiana de corte fino Litecore adherida a un soporte de panal de aluminio

Las innovaciones en revestimientos pueden ofrecer una solución elegante y rentable para incorporar los colores y texturas de la piedra natural sin las complicaciones de un transporte costoso y una instalación prolongada. Si bien personifican el carácter auténtico de la piedra natural, algunos de estos sistemas siguen siendo livianos para facilitar su uso, lo que los convierte en una opción inteligente para abordar los estrictos requisitos que los arquitectos deben cumplir en los códigos de construcción modernos.

Las piedras naturales Polycor son aplicables para una variedad de sistemas de soporte y anclaje de fachadas. Con origen en el Canteras de policor 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.

Al elegir una piedra para el revestimiento, los arquitectos deben sopesar muchos factores: apariencia, uso previsto, tamaño del proyecto, resistencia, durabilidad y rendimiento. Al elegir las piedras Polycor para fachadas, los arquitectos se benefician de nuestra propiedad total de la cadena de suministro, desde la base de roca hasta el punto de instalación. El valor de trabajar con una empresa como Polycor es que, dado que somos propietarios de nuestras canteras, podemos responder directamente a cualquier pregunta o inquietud que un arquitecto pueda tener durante el proceso de desarrollo de una especificación para una fachada en lugar de tener 2 o 3 intermediarios.

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

Vega ha estado interesada en tecnologías de revestimiento innovadoras y trabajó con expertos en investigación y desarrollo en nuestras plantas de fabricación para fabricar revestimientos de piedra natural de espesor variable que se puedan utilizar dentro o fuera de un edificio. Generalmente se fija mediante un sistema independiente de carril y abrazadera.

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 solución que ofrece piedra a una fracción del peso y una instalación al doble de velocidad.

Imagen cortesía de: Litecore

Stone on Honeycomb con el sistema Litecore

Estos versátiles paneles de pared compuestos utilizan piedra Polycor cortada en un revestimiento ultrafino. Adheridos a capas alveolares, intercalados entre láminas de aluminio y malla de fibra de vidrio, los paneles proporcionan un sistema de fachada liviano, de alta resistencia y de baja densidad.

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

Piedra con respaldo de carbono de 1 cm con sistemas Eclad y Elemex

Las losas con respaldo de fibra de carbono de Polycor de 1 cm son productos de piedra natural ultradelgados, livianos y duraderos que se basan en un respaldo patentado adherido que se utiliza en lugar del aluminio. Los paneles de piedra resultantes se adaptan para integrarse en los sistemas de revestimiento Eclad y Elemex.

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

Piedra sobre hormigón de ultra alto rendimiento

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 tiene la experiencia para crear cualquier proyecto, desde una simple pared hasta bancos, proyectos arquitectónicos excepcionales e interiores de vestíbulos de gran altura. Cada solución permite a los arquitectos diseñar exteriores de edificios innovadores, sostenibles y estéticamente agradables incorporando superficies de piedra.

“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.”