Natural Stone Cladding: Naka-angkla Sa Nakaraan, Ngunit Handa Para sa Hinaharap na nakasuot ng bato

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.

Ang paglipat mula sa salamin pabalik sa bato ay resulta din ng mga alalahanin sa kapaligiran. Ang alkalde ng New York City na si Bill De Blasio ay lumipat kamakailan sa ipagbawal ang mga bagong glass skyscraper 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 Pebble Mosaic Tile

INDIANA LIMESTONE – FULL COLOR BLEND™ harapan sa precast concrete | Yankee Stadium | Arkitekto: Matao

“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.

Ang mga polycor natural na bato ay naaangkop para sa iba't ibang facade anchoring at support system. Tingnan kung paano.

“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® at CAMBRIAN BLACK® granite 3cm na mga panel sa Eclad system na naka-install sa umiiral na istraktura | TD Building | Arkitekto: 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 Italyano na marmol doesn’t cut it anymore.

SA UNA NG 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.“

Ang mga makabagong solusyon sa cladding ay nagbibigay-daan para sa mas malaking posibilidad ng disenyo | Larawan: Litecore thin cut Indiana Limestone ay nakadikit sa aluminum honeycomb backing

Ang mga cladding innovations ay maaaring mag-alok ng elegante at cost-efficient na solusyon para sa pagsasama ng mga kulay at texture ng natural na bato nang walang mga komplikasyon ng magastos na transportasyon at mahabang pag-install. Habang binibigyang-katauhan ang tunay na katangian ng natural na bato, ang ilan sa mga sistemang ito ay nananatiling magaan para sa kadalian ng paggamit, na ginagawa itong isang matalinong pagpili para sa pagtugon sa mga mahigpit na kinakailangan na dapat matugunan ng mga arkitekto sa mga modernong code ng gusali.

Ang mga polycor natural na bato ay naaangkop para sa iba't ibang facade anchoring at support system. Nagmula sa Mga quarry ng 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.

Kapag pumipili ng isang bato para sa cladding, ang mga arkitekto ay kailangang timbangin ang maraming mga kadahilanan: hitsura, nilalayon na paggamit, laki ng proyekto, lakas, tibay at pagganap. Sa pamamagitan ng pagpili ng mga polycor na bato para sa mga facade, nakikinabang ang mga arkitekto mula sa aming buong pagmamay-ari ng supply chain, mula sa lahat ng paraan pababa sa bedrock hanggang sa punto ng pag-install. Ang halaga ng pakikipagtulungan sa isang kumpanya tulad ng Polycor, ay dahil pagmamay-ari namin ang aming mga quarry, maaari naming sagutin nang direkta ang anumang mga tanong o alalahanin na maaaring mayroon ang isang arkitekto sa panahon ng proseso ng pagbuo ng isang spec para sa isang harapan sa halip na magkaroon ng 2-3 middle men.

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

Naging interesado si Vega sa mga makabagong teknolohiya sa pag-cladding at nakipagtulungan sa mga eksperto sa pagsasaliksik at pagpapaunlad sa aming mga manufacturing plant para gumawa ng natural na stone cladding na may variable na kapal na maaaring gamitin sa loob o labas ng gusali. Ito ay karaniwang nakakabit sa pamamagitan ng isang independiyenteng rail at clamp system.

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, isang solusyon na nag-aalok ng bato sa isang fraction ng timbang at pag-install sa dalawang beses ang bilis.

Larawan ng kagandahang-loob ng: Litecore

Stone on Honeycomb gamit ang Litecore system

Ang mga versatile, composite wall panel na ito ay gumagamit ng Polycor stone cut sa isang ultra-thin veneer. Nakadikit sa layered honeycomb, na nasa pagitan ng mga aluminum sheet at fiberglass mesh, ang mga panel ay nagbibigay ng low-density, high strength, at lightweight na facade system.

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

1cm Carbon-Backed Stone na may Eclad at Elemex system

Ang polycor 1cm carbon fiber backed slab ay napakanipis, magaan, at matibay na natural na mga produkto ng bato na umaasa sa isang adhered proprietary backing na ginagamit bilang kapalit ng aluminum. Ang mga nagresultang mga panel ng bato ay iniangkop upang maisama sa parehong Eclad at Elemex cladding system.

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

Bato sa 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.

May kadalubhasaan ang Polycor na lumikha ng anumang proyekto mula sa isang simpleng pader hanggang sa mga bangko, mga natatanging proyekto sa arkitektura at mga interior ng high rise na lobby. Ang bawat solusyon ay nagbibigay-daan sa mga arkitekto na magdisenyo ng mga makabago, napapanatiling at aesthetically kasiya-siyang mga panlabas na gusali na may kasamang mga ibabaw ng bato.

“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.”