Zovala Zamwala Zachilengedwe: Zozikika Kale, Koma Zokonzekera Zovala Zam'tsogolo

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.

Kusintha kuchokera ku galasi kubwerera ku mwala ndi chifukwa cha zovuta zachilengedwe. Meya wa New York City a Bill De Blasio adasamukira posachedwa kuletsa magalasi atsopano a magalasi 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 × 30.5cm Quarzite Natural Stone Mwala Mosaic Matailosi

INDIANA LIMESTONE – FULL COLOR BLEND™ facade pa precast konkire | Yankee Stadium | Womanga: Wochuluka

“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.

Miyala yachilengedwe ya Polycor imagwira ntchito pamakina osiyanasiyana okhazikika komanso othandizira. Onani mmene.

“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® ndi CAMBRIAN BLACK® mapanelo a granite 3cm pamakina a Eclad omwe adayikidwa pamapangidwe omwe alipo | TD Nyumba | Wopanga mapulani: 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 Chitaliyana marble doesn’t cut it anymore.

KUTSOGOLO KWA NTCHITO ZA NATURAL STONE 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.“

Mayankho aukadaulo opangira ma cladding amalola kuthekera kokulirapo | Chithunzi: Litecore woonda wodulidwa Indiana Limestone amamatira ku zisa za aluminiyamu zothandizira

Zatsopano zomangirira zimatha kupereka njira yabwino komanso yotsika mtengo yophatikizira mitundu ndi mawonekedwe a miyala yachilengedwe popanda zovuta zamayendedwe okwera mtengo komanso kuyika kwautali. Ngakhale kutengera mawonekedwe enieni a miyala yachilengedwe, ena mwa machitidwewa amakhalabe opepuka kuti agwiritse ntchito mosavuta, zomwe zimapangitsa kukhala chisankho chanzeru kuthana ndi zofunikira zomwe omangamanga ayenera kukwaniritsa muzomangamanga zamakono.

Miyala yachilengedwe ya Polycor imagwira ntchito pamakina osiyanasiyana okhazikika komanso othandizira. Kuchokera ku Zithunzi za 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.

Posankha mwala wophimba, omangamanga ayenera kuwerengera zinthu zambiri: maonekedwe, ntchito yomwe akufuna, kukula kwa polojekiti, mphamvu, kulimba ndi ntchito. Posankha miyala ya Polycor ya ma facades, omanga amapindula ndi umwini wathu wonse wazinthu zogulitsira, kuyambira pansi mpaka pansi mpaka kuyika. Phindu logwira ntchito ndi kampani ngati Polycor, ndikuti popeza ndife eni ake, titha kuyankha mwachindunji ku mafunso aliwonse kapena nkhawa zomwe mmisiri wa zomangamanga atha kukhala nazo panthawi yopanga mawonekedwe a facade m'malo mokhala ndi amuna apakati a 2-3.

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 yakhala ndi chidwi ndi matekinoloje amakono ovala zovala ndipo idagwira ntchito ndi akatswiri ofufuza ndi chitukuko pamakampani athu opanga kuti apange miyala yachilengedwe ya makulidwe osiyanasiyana omwe angagwiritsidwe ntchito mkati kapena kunja kwa nyumba. Nthawi zambiri imayikidwa kudzera pa njanji yodziyimira payokha komanso njira yochepetsera.

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, yankho lomwe limapereka mwala pang'onopang'ono kulemera kwake ndikuyika kawiri liwiro.

Chithunzi mwachilolezo cha: Litecore

Mwala pa Honeycomb ndi Litecore system

Makanema apakhoma osunthika, ophatikizikawa amagwiritsa ntchito mwala wa Polycor wodulidwa kukhala wowonda kwambiri. Kutsatiridwa ndi zisa za uchi, zomangidwa pakati pa mapepala a aluminiyamu ndi mauna a fiberglass, mapanelowa amapereka mawonekedwe otsika kwambiri, olimba kwambiri, komanso opepuka.

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

1cm Mwala Wopangidwa ndi Carbon wokhala ndi Eclad ndi Elemex machitidwe

Polycor 1cm carbon fiber backed slabs ndi yopyapyala kwambiri, yopepuka, komanso yokhazikika yamwala yachilengedwe yomwe imadalira kuthandizidwa ndi eni ake omwe amagwiritsidwa ntchito m'malo mwa aluminiyamu. Mapanelo amiyala omwe amatsatira amasinthidwa kuti agwirizane ndi machitidwe onse a Eclad ndi Elemex.

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

Mwala pa 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 ali ndi ukadaulo wopanga projekiti iliyonse kuyambira pakhoma losavuta kupita ku mabenchi, ma projekiti apamwamba kwambiri komanso malo ofikira okwera kwambiri. Njira iliyonse imalola omanga kupanga mapangidwe amakono, okhazikika komanso owoneka bwino akunja ophatikizira miyala.

“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.”