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.

Peralihan dari kaca kembali ke batu juga disebabkan oleh permasalahan lingkungan. Walikota New York City Bill De Blasio baru-baru ini pindah ke melarang gedung pencakar langit kaca baru 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™ fasad pada beton pracetak | Stadion Yankee | Arsitek: Banyak penduduknya

“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.

Batu alam Polycor dapat digunakan untuk berbagai sistem penahan dan pendukung fasad. Lihat bagaimana.

“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® Dan CAMBRIAN BLACK® panel granit 3cm pada sistem Eclad dipasang di atas struktur yang ada | Gedung TD | Arsitek: 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 Marmer Italia doesn’t cut it anymore.

Pelapis Dinding Batu Alam Batu Pasir Sinar Matahari Emas

DI DEPAN INOVASI CLADDING BATU ALAM

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.“

Solusi kelongsong yang inovatif memungkinkan kemungkinan desain yang lebih besar | Foto: Batu Kapur Indiana potongan tipis Litecore yang dilekatkan pada lapisan sarang lebah aluminium

Inovasi pelapisan dapat menawarkan solusi elegan dan hemat biaya untuk memadukan warna dan tekstur batu alam tanpa kerumitan transportasi yang mahal dan pemasangan yang lama. Meskipun melambangkan karakter asli batu alam, beberapa sistem ini tetap ringan untuk kemudahan penggunaan, menjadikannya pilihan cerdas untuk memenuhi persyaratan ketat yang harus dipenuhi oleh arsitek dalam peraturan bangunan modern.

Batu alam Polycor dapat digunakan untuk berbagai sistem penahan dan pendukung fasad. Berasal dari Tambang polikor 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.

Saat memilih batu untuk pelapis, arsitek perlu mempertimbangkan banyak faktor: penampilan, tujuan penggunaan, ukuran proyek, kekuatan, daya tahan, dan kinerja. Dengan memilih batu Polycor untuk fasad, arsitek mendapatkan keuntungan dari kepemilikan penuh kami atas rantai pasokan, mulai dari batuan dasar hingga titik pemasangan. Nilai bekerja sama dengan perusahaan seperti Polycor adalah karena kami adalah pemilik tambang, kami dapat menjawab langsung pertanyaan atau kekhawatiran apa pun yang mungkin dimiliki seorang arsitek selama proses pengembangan spesifikasi fasad daripada harus memiliki 2-3 perantara.

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

Vega tertarik dengan teknologi kelongsong yang inovatif dan bekerja dengan pakar penelitian dan pengembangan di pabrik kami untuk membuat kelongsong batu alam dengan ketebalan bervariasi yang dapat digunakan baik di dalam maupun di luar bangunan. Biasanya ditempel melalui sistem rel dan penjepit independen.

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, solusi yang menawarkan batu dengan bobot lebih ringan dan pemasangan dua kali lebih cepat.

Gambar milik: Litecore

Batu di Honeycomb dengan sistem Litecore

Panel dinding komposit serbaguna ini menggunakan batu Polycor yang dipotong menjadi lapisan ultra tipis. Dilekatkan pada sarang lebah berlapis, diapit di antara lembaran aluminium dan jaring fiberglass, panel-panel ini memberikan sistem fasad dengan kepadatan rendah, kekuatan tinggi, dan ringan.

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

Batu Berbahan Karbon 1cm dengan sistem Eclad dan Elemex

Lembaran berbahan dasar serat karbon Polycor 1cm adalah produk batu alam yang sangat tipis, ringan, dan tahan lama yang mengandalkan bahan pendukung eksklusif yang digunakan sebagai pengganti aluminium. Panel batu yang dihasilkan disesuaikan untuk diintegrasikan ke dalam sistem kelongsong Eclad dan Elemex.

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

Batu di atas Beton Berkinerja Sangat Tinggi

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 memiliki keahlian untuk membuat proyek apa pun mulai dari dinding sederhana hingga bangku, proyek arsitektur luar biasa, dan interior lobi bertingkat tinggi. Setiap solusi memungkinkan para arsitek merancang eksterior bangunan yang inovatif, berkelanjutan, dan estetis dengan menggabungkan permukaan batu.

“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 memadukan tambahan modern dengan batu tradisional | Senat Kanada, Ottawa, CA | Arsitek: Diamond Schmitt

Berlabuh di masa lalu namun siap untuk masa depan, pelapis batu alam memenuhi kebutuhan arsitektur dan desain modern. Dan meskipun inovasi pelapisan terus membuat batu tipis lebih mudah digunakan, pelapisan bukanlah satu-satunya masa depan batu alam.