natural stone
Why natural stone?
1. Natural stone as an ecological and environmentally compatible
product
The utilisation of natural stone as construction material
has a centuries old tradition, after all, it is found in virtually
finished form in nature. And so no energy expenditure is necessary
for the actual manufacture of natural stone. And even the
energy consumed during the extraction and treatment is very
marginal in comparison to the manufacture of other construction
materials. Moreover, nothing is lost in the overall cycle
of natural stone extraction and processing as well as the
recycling to nature, since the waste material resulting from
the extraction is utilised for filling the extracted portions
of the quarry. Therefore natural stone is a completely ecological
construction material.
As a natural product natural stone does not contain any deleterious
substances. Therefore it can be utilised without hesitation
in foodstuff areas. Natural stone is neither combustible nor
are any deleterious substances whatsoever released in the
event of fire. In principal, natural stones also do not require
any ancillary chemical materials such as protective coatings,
impregnating agents or other coatings in order to be able
to utilise it as construction material. Natural stones also
comply with Construction Material Class A according to DIN
4102.
2. Variety and individuality
Natural stones are extracted in large-format blocks and subsequently
cut into the desired format in the natural stone works. This
process is only limited through the size of the raw blocks
and is not restricted through standard dimensions, as is often
the case with regard to the production of other construction
materials. As a result, not only square or rectangular plates
are realisable, but also any shapes you like.
On top of that is the fact that no other construction material
exhibits so many different colours and structures as natural
stone. Since natural stone is available in a vast number of
different colours, structures and textures, there is a suitable
stone for virtually every requirement posed on a construction
material. As a result, coordination of any desired appearance
or ambience is easy to achieve with natural stone. The variety
and application possibilities of natural stone are additionally
increased through various surface treatments.
The variety of stones as well as the individual treatment
and configuration possibilities makes natural stone a unique
construction material with virtually unlimited application
possibilities.
3. Natural stone is capable of ageing
Natural stone has an extremely high lifespan. Buildings made
of natural stone evidently last many thousand years with proper
planning and workmanship. And whereas many construction materials
become unsightly over the course of years, natural stone retains
a natural patina that is not detrimental to its beauty. On
the contrary, many natural stones first obtain their full
elegance over the years.
The beauty of natural stones in the original state can be
restored at any time through polishing, even with floor coverings
that are hundreds of years old. In addition, natural stone
can also be cleaned very easily and cost-effectively.
4. Natural stone is three-dimensional
The utilisation of natural stone is not limited to plate
formats. Optional massive constructional elements such as
cornices, frameworks, and columns can be manufactured as a
result of its three-dimensionality. This allows a spatially
aesthetic arrangement to be established with regard to utilisation
on the floor as well as on the façade. Fascinating
light and shadow effects can be enhanced even more through
the milling of grooves and cannelures in the stone surfaces.
5. Natural stone is cost-effective
At first glance natural stone seems to be more expensive
than comparable artificial construction materials. But if
you consider the overall costs of a construction material
over a utilisation period of 30 years and more, it quickly
turns out that the opposite is actually the case - i.e. the
relatively high procurement costs are up against the high
lifespan as well as the long-term favourable maintenance costs.
An expenditure for cleaning and maintenance costs is hardly
incurred with the utilisation of natural stone.
6. Natural stone as a heat accumulator
Natural stone features very good heat conductivity and a
high heat accumulator capacity.
During utilisation as a façade material natural stone
absorbs the sun's thermal radiation and thus inhibits undesirable
heating of the building. It has been substantiated in experiments
that high-rise buildings with stone facades require half of
the energy demand for the necessary heating and cooling than
buildings with glass facades.
In the inside area the heat conductivity and the heat accumulator
capacity make natural stone an ideal floor covering with utilisation
of floor heating.
7. Durability and loading capacity
Many natural stones often enjoy the reputation of an everlasting
construction material on account of the high compressive strength.
Only non-rusting steels attain a comparable durability, but
they are extremely expensive due to the costly production.
Among all floor coverings natural stone features the greatest
durability and the lowest abrasion values. Traces of utilisation
are hardly visible even after decades with regard to floors
made of granite or similar hard stones. |
