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.

Tha an gluasad bho ghlainne air ais gu cloich cuideachd mar thoradh air draghan àrainneachd. Ghluais àrd-bhàillidh Cathair New York Bill De Blasio gu o chionn ghoirid cuir casg air skyscrapers glainne ùr 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™ aghaidh air concrait precast | Stadium Yankee | Ailtire: Daoine

“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.

Tha clachan nàdarra polycor iomchaidh airson grunn shiostaman acair agus taic. Faic mar.

“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® agus CAMBRIAN BLACK® panalan clach-ghràin 3cm air siostam Eclad air a chuir a-steach thairis air an structar a th’ ann | Togalach TD | ailtire: 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 marmor Eadailteach doesn’t cut it anymore.

Còmhdach balla cloiche nàdarra clach-ghainmhich Golden Sunshine

ANNS A' CHATHAIR NAN CUMHACHD CHLOCH NAN ÙRACHADH

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.“

Tha fuasglaidhean còmhdaich ùr-nodha a’ ceadachadh barrachd chothroman dealbhaidh | Anns an dealbh: Lean Litecore gearradh tana Indiana Limestone ri taic meala alùmanum

Faodaidh innleachdan còmhdaich fuasgladh eireachdail is cosg-èifeachdach a thabhann airson a bhith a’ toirt a-steach dathan agus inneach clach nàdarra às aonais duilgheadasan còmhdhail cosgail agus stàladh fada. Fhad ‘s a tha iad a’ comharrachadh caractar dearbhte clach nàdarra, tha cuid de na siostaman sin fhathast aotrom airson a bhith furasta an cleachdadh, ga fhàgail na roghainn snasail airson dèiligeadh ris na riatanasan teann a dh’ fheumas ailtirean coinneachadh ann an còdan togail an latha an-diugh.

Tha clachan nàdarra polycor iomchaidh airson grunn shiostaman acair agus taic. A’ tòiseachadh aig an Cuaraidhean 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.

Nuair a bhios iad a 'taghadh clach airson còmhdach, feumaidh ailtirean mòran fhactaran a chuideam: coltas, cleachdadh san amharc, meud a' phròiseict, neart, seasmhachd agus coileanadh. Le bhith a’ taghadh chlachan Polycor airson aghaidhean, tha ailtirean a’ faighinn buannachd às an làn sheilbh a th’ againn air an t-sèine solair, bhon t-slighe gu lèir sìos anns a’ bhun-stèidh suas gu ìre an stàlaidh. Is e luach a bhith ag obair le companaidh mar Polycor, leis gu bheil sealbh againn air na cuaraidhean againn, gun urrainn dhuinn freagairt dìreach a thoirt do cheistean no draghan sam bith a dh’ fhaodadh a bhith aig ailtire fhad ‘s a tha sinn a’ leasachadh sònrachadh airson aghaidh an àite 2-3 fir meadhanach a bhith againn.

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

Tha ùidh air a bhith aig Vega ann an teicneòlasan còmhdaich ùr-ghnàthach agus dh’ obraich i le eòlaichean rannsachaidh is leasachaidh aig na h-ionadan saothrachaidh againn gus còmhdach cloiche nàdarra de thiugh caochlaideach a dhèanamh a ghabhas cleachdadh taobh a-staigh no taobh a-muigh togalach. Mar as trice tha e air a cheangal tro shiostam rèile is clamp neo-eisimeileach.

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, fuasgladh a tha a 'tairgse clach aig bloigh den chuideam agus stàladh aig dà uair nas luaithe.

Dealbh le cead bho: Litecore

Clach air Honeycomb leis an t-siostam Litecore

Bidh na panalan balla ioma-chruthach seo a’ cleachdadh clach Polycor air a ghearradh ann an veneer ultra-tana. A’ cumail ri cìr-mheala sreathach, air a sgaoileadh eadar siotaichean alùmanum agus mogal fiberglass, tha na pannalan a’ toirt seachad siostam aghaidh dùmhlachd ìosal, àrd neart agus aotrom.

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

Clach le taic gualain 1cm le siostaman Eclad agus Elemex

Tha leacan le taic snàithleach gualain polycor 1cm nan toraidhean cloiche nàdarra ultra tana, aotrom agus seasmhach a tha an urra ri taic seilbh a thèid a chleachdadh an àite alùmanum. Tha na pannalan cloiche a thig às air an atharrachadh gus amalachadh a-steach do shiostaman còmhdaich Eclad agus Elemex.

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

Clach air concrait àrd-choileanadh

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.

Tha an t-eòlas aig Polycor airson pròiseact sam bith a chruthachadh bho bhalla sìmplidh gu beingean, pròiseactan ailtireachd air leth agus taobh a-staigh lobaidh àrd. Leigidh gach fuasgladh le ailtirean taobh a-muigh togalach ùr-ghnàthach, seasmhach agus a tha tlachdmhor a thaobh bòidhchead a dhealbhadh a’ toirt a-steach uachdar cloiche.

“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™ còmhdach a’ measgachadh cur-ris ùr-nodha le obair-cloiche traidiseanta | Seanadh Chanada, Ottawa, CA | Ailtire: Diamond Schmitt

Air acair san àm a dh'fhalbh ach deiseil airson an ama ri teachd, tha còmhdach cloiche nàdarra a 'coinneachadh ri feumalachdan ailtireachd agus dealbhadh an latha an-diugh. Agus ged a tha innleachdan còmhdaich fhathast a’ dèanamh clach tana nas fhasa na bha e a-riamh a chleachdadh, chan e còmhdachadh an aon àm ri teachd do chlach nàdarra.