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.

Transitus e vitreo ad lapidem etiam effectus rerum culturarum. Bill De Blasio nuper mo- to movebo novum vitrum skyscrapers 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™ latitudo autem precast concreta | Yankee Stadium | Faber: 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.

Polycorus lapides naturales applicabiles sunt ad varias ancoras facies et systemata sustentandos. Vide quomodo.

“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® et CAMBRIAN BLACK® granite 3cm tabulae in Eclad systema super structuram existentem installed | TD Building | Architectus: 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 Italiae marmor doesn’t cut it anymore.

Aurea soles Sandstone Naturalis Stone Wall Cladding

IN FRONTE NATURALIS LAPIDEM CLADDING INNOVATION

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.“

Innovativae cladding solutiones maioris consilii possibilitates permittunt | Picta: Litecore tenuia incisa Indiana calcis adhaesit aluminii fauo fauo

Cladding innovationes offerre possunt solutionem elegantem et sumptus efficacem ad incorporandi colores et texturas lapidis naturalis sine inpedimenta translationis pretiosae et diuturnae institutionis. Dum personat veram lapidis naturalis indolem, quaedam ex his systematis leve pondus ad usum adhibitum manent, cum id acri electione ad strictas exigentias conferentes architecti in hodiernis codicibus aedificandis convenire debent.

Polycorus lapides naturales applicabiles sunt ad varias ancoras facies et systemata sustentandos. Orta a Polycorus lapicidinis 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.

Cum saxum ad cladding eligendo, architecti plures factores pensare debent: species, usus intentus, magnitudo rei, robur, vetustas et effectus. Lapides pro faciebus Polycor eligendo, architecti ex nostro pleno dominio copiae catenae prosunt, ab omni descensu in petram usque ad institutionem. Valor operandi cum societate Polycoris similis est quod, cum habemus lapicidinas nostras, respondere possumus directe ad quaestiones vel de architecto, in processu evolutionis speciem habere voltus pro 2-3 medios homines habere.

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

Vega studuit in technologiarum novarum technologiarum et pervestigationi et evolutionis peritis operandis in plantis fabricandis operam dedit ut lapideas naturales crassitudines variae, quae vel intra vel extra aedificium adhiberi possunt. Vulgo appensum est per rationem rail et fibulae independens.

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 Solutio litecore, quae lapidem in fractione ponderis et institutionis in duplo celeritatis offert.

Image Affabilitatem: Litecore

Lapis in favus mellis cum Litecore systema

Hae versatiles tabulae parietis compositae utuntur Polycoro lapide inciso in crustam ultra-tenuem. Apice favo adhaesit, inter aluminium schedae et reticulum fibreglas sandwiche, tabulae densitatem, altitudinem roboris, et bracteas leves systematis praebent.

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

1cm Carbon- Backed Stone cum Eclad et Elemex systemata

Polycorus 1cm fibra carbonis tabulae subnixae sunt ultra tenues, leves, et durabiles producta lapidea naturalia quae innixi sunt in fauore proprietatis adhibito loco aluminii adhaerens. Tabulae lapideae inde inde aptae sunt ad systema cladentium tam Eclad quam Elemex integrandum.

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

Lapis in Ultra alta euismod 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 peritiam habet ad efficiendum aliquod projectum a muro simplici usque ad scamna, eminentia inceptis architecturae et altioribus interioribus VESTIBULUM surgentibus. Quaelibet solutio permittit architectis ut ratiocinationem amet, sustinebilem et aesthetice placentem aedificiis exterioribus superficiebus lapideis incorporantibus.

“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 miscent moderni additiones cum traditional stonework | Senatus Canadae, Ottawa, CA | Architectus: Diamond Schmitt

In ancoris praeteritis, sed ad futurum paratis, lapis naturalis clapping necessitates modernae architecturae et designationis occurrit. Et dum clading innovationes pergunt ad tenuem lapidem facilius quam ad usum facere, clave futura non est nisi lapidis naturalis.