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.

Prijelaz sa stakla natrag na kamen također je rezultat brige za okoliš. Gradonačelnik New Yorka Bill De Blasio nedavno se preselio u 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 predgotovljenom betonu | Stadion Yankee | Arhitekt: Punoljudan

“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.

Prirodni kamen Polycor primjenjiv je za razne sustave sidrenja i potpore fasada. Vidi 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® granitne ploče od 3 cm na sustavu Eclad postavljene preko postojeće strukture | Zgrada TD | Arhitekt: 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 Talijanski mramor doesn’t cut it anymore.

Zidna obloga od prirodnog kamena Golden Sunshine Sandstone

NA ČELU INOVACIJA U OBLOGAMA OD 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 oblaganja omogućuju veće mogućnosti dizajna | Na slici: Litecore tanko rezani kamen Indiana prilijepljen na podlogu od aluminijskog saća

Inovacije u oblaganju mogu ponuditi elegantno i troškovno učinkovito rješenje za ugradnju boja i tekstura prirodnog kamena bez komplikacija skupog transporta i dugotrajne instalacije. Iako personificiraju autentični karakter prirodnog kamena, neki od ovih sustava ostaju lagani radi lakšeg korištenja, što ga čini pametnim izborom za rješavanje strogih zahtjeva koje arhitekti moraju ispuniti u modernim građevinskim propisima.

Prirodni kamen Polycor primjenjiv je za razne sustave sidrenja i potpore fasada. Podrijetlom iz 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, arhitekti trebaju odvagnuti mnoge čimbenike: izgled, namjenu, veličinu projekta, snagu, trajnost i performanse. Odabirom Polycor kamenja za fasade, arhitekti imaju koristi od našeg potpunog vlasništva nad opskrbnim lancem, od temeljne stijene do točke ugradnje. Vrijednost rada s tvrtkom kao što je Polycor je u tome što, budući da posjedujemo svoje kamenolome, možemo izravno odgovoriti na sva pitanja ili nedoumice koje bi arhitekt mogao imati tijekom 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, Hofmannov kamen 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. Općenito se pričvršćuje putem neovisnog sustava tračnica 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 djeliću težine i ugradnju dvostrukom brzinom.

Za sliku ustupio: Litecore

Stone on Honeycomb s Litecore sustavom

Ovi svestrani, kompozitni zidni paneli koriste Polycor kamen izrezan u ultratanak furnir. Prilijepljeni na slojevito saće, u sendviču između aluminijskih ploča i mreže od stakloplastike, paneli daju fasadni sustav male gustoće, visoke čvrstoće i lagan.

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

Kamen s ugljičnom podlogom od 1 cm sa sustavima Eclad i Elemex

Polycor 1cm ploče s podlogom od ugljičnih vlakana ultra su tanki, lagani i izdržljivi proizvodi od prirodnog kamena koji se oslanjaju na zalijepljenu vlasničku podlogu koja se koristi umjesto aluminija. Dobivene kamene ploče prilagođene su za integraciju u sustave oblaganja Eclad i Elemex.

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 izradu bilo kojeg projekta od jednostavnog zida do klupa, izvanrednih arhitektonskih projekata i interijera visokog predvorja. Svako rješenje omogućuje arhitektima da dizajniraju inovativne, održive i estetski ugodne vanjske dijelove zgrada koji 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 moderni dodatak s tradicionalnim kamenim radovima | Senat Kanade, Ottawa, CA | Arhitekt: Diamond Schmitt

Usidrena u prošlosti, ali spremna za budućnost, obloge od prirodnog kamena zadovoljavaju potrebe moderne arhitekture i dizajna. I dok inovacije u oblaganju nastavljaju činiti tanki kamen lakšim nego ikad za korištenje, oblaganje nije jedina budućnost prirodnog kamena.