Natuerstiennen beklaaiïng: ferankere yn it ferline, mar klear foar de takomst - stiennen beklaaid

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.

De oergong fan glês werom nei stien is ek in gefolch fan miljeusoarch. New York City boargemaster Bill De Blasio ferhuze koartlyn nei ferbiede nije glêzen wolkekliuwers 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.

30,5 × 30,5 cm Quarzite Natural Stone Pebble Mosaic Tegels

INDIANA LIMESTONE – FULL COLOR BLEND™ gevel op prefab beton | Yankee Stadium | Arsjitekt: Populous

“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.

Polycor natuerlike stiennen binne fan tapassing foar in ferskaat oan gevelferankering en stipesystemen. Sjoch hoe.

“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® en CAMBRIAN BLACK® graniten 3cm panielen op Eclad systeem ynstallearre oer besteande struktuer | TD Building | Arsjitekt: 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 Italjaansk moarmer doesn’t cut it anymore.

BY DE FORFRONT FAN Natuerlike stiennen beklaaiïngfernijing

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.“

Ynnovative cladding oplossings tastean foar gruttere design mooglikheden | Ofbylde: Litecore tinne cut Indiana Limestone adhered oan aluminium honingraat backing

Ynnovaasjes fan beklaaiïng kinne in elegante en kosten-effisjinte oplossing biede foar it opnimmen fan de kleuren en tekstueren fan natuerlike stien sûnder de komplikaasjes fan kostber ferfier en lange ynstallaasje. Wylst se it autentike karakter fan natuerstien personifisearje, bliuwe guon fan dizze systemen lichtgewicht foar gemak fan gebrûk, wêrtroch it in tûke kar is foar it oanpakken fan 'e strange easken dy't arsjitekten moatte foldwaan yn moderne boukoades.

Polycor natuerlike stiennen binne fan tapassing foar in ferskaat oan gevelferankering en stipesystemen. Oarsprong by de Polycor steengroeven 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.

By it kiezen fan in stien foar beklaaiïng moatte arsjitekten in protte faktoaren weagje: uterlik, bedoeld gebrûk, grutte fan it projekt, sterkte, duorsumens en prestaasjes. Troch Polycor-stiennen foar gevels te kiezen, profitearje arsjitekten fan ús folsleine eigendom fan 'e supply chain, fan hielendal del yn' e grûn oant it punt fan ynstallaasje. De wearde fan it wurkjen mei in bedriuw lykas Polycor is dat, om't wy ús steengroeven hawwe, wy direkt kinne beantwurdzje op alle fragen of soargen dy't in arsjitekt kin hawwe tidens it proses fan it ûntwikkeljen fan in spesifikaasje foar in gevel ynstee fan 2-3 middenmannen.

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 Steen and others to offer a complete cladding solution for the project.“

Vega is ynteressearre yn ynnovative bekledingstechnologyen en wurke mei ûndersyks- en ûntwikkelingseksperts by ús fabrikaazjeplanten om natuerlike stiennen beklaaiïng fan fariabele dikte te meitsjen dy't sawol binnen as bûten in gebou kinne wurde brûkt. It wurdt oer it generaal befestige fia in ûnôfhinklik spoar- en klemsysteem.

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, in oplossing dy't stien biedt foar in fraksje fan it gewicht en ynstallaasje mei twa kear de snelheid.

Ofbylding mei dank oan: Litecore

Stien op Honeycomb mei it Litecore-systeem

Dizze alsidige, gearstalde muorrepanielen brûke Polycor-stien snije yn in ultra-tinne fineer. Adhered oan laach honingraat, sandwiched tusken aluminium platen en glêstried gaas, de panielen jouwe in lege tichtheid, hege sterkte, en lichtgewicht gevel systeem.

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

1cm Carbon-backed stien mei Eclad en Elemex systemen

Polycor 1cm koalstoffaser-backed platen binne ultra tinne, lichtgewicht, en duorsume natuerlike stiennen produkten dy't fertrouwe op in adhered proprietêre backing brûkt yn plak fan aluminium. De resultearjende stiennen panielen binne oanpast om te yntegrearjen yn sawol Eclad as Elemex beklaaisystemen.

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

Stien op Ultra-high Performance Concrete

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 hat de saakkundigens om elk projekt te meitsjen fan in ienfâldige muorre oant banken, treflike arsjitektoanyske projekten en hege lobby-ynterieurs. Elke oplossing lit arsjitekten ynnovative, duorsume en estetysk noflike bûtenkant fan gebouwen ûntwerpe mei stiennen oerflakken.

“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.”