Stone cladding: Life Cycle Cost / Durability

Posted on February 6, 2008
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Stone cladding: Life Cycle Cost / Durability

In considering exterior cladding alternatives, the design life of the building should be considered. Stone weathers at different rates depending on the variety selected. Most granites weather at rates in the mm per thousand years. Many marbles and limestones also offer rates of weathering measured in millennia. Using StonePly, a low maintenance façade can be designed to match the intended life of a building. This durability provides substantial long-term savings in reduced maintenance, less disruption and greater value to tenants both now and in the future. Tenants perceive stone cladding as a high value, quality building which commands higher rents. The long lasting good looks of StonePly cladding helps ensure that the buildings value remains, both now and in the future.

Stone panel impact resistance.

Unlike solid stone cladding slabs, StonePly does not experience “brittle failure”

. The aluminum honeycomb gives the stone panels a ductile ability to bend. In catastrophic sudden impact (earthquake or explosion), the fractured stone micro-cracks and tends to be held together by the glass fibers.

Initial Cost

In construction, faster building completion reduces the costs of interim financing, produces an earlier cash flow, provides a competitive advantage and offers several other benefits to the bottom line. These initial savings lower the building’s long-term overall cost and can make the use of StonePly cladding panels more economical than other cladding materials.

The light weight of a StonePly façade reduces the hoisting equipment needed for erection, cuts back shipping and handling costs and can reduce the structural load on the building. The greater efficiency can result in a less costly architectural cladding.

StonePly cladding can be used with a variety of substrates and can be incorporated into a variety of systems. StonePly cladding panels work in curtain wall systems and rain-screen cladding, and can be applied over metal stud and sheathing, cmu or concrete.

Energy Efficiency

The thin StonePly cladding panels offer the thermal benefits of the aluminum reinforcing and the honeycomb core on the back of the stone panel. The aluminum reflects back radiant heat. This can help reduce cooling costs in the summer and heating costs in the winter. The thin StonePly panels also allow more room for insulation within the wall cavity.

Architectural Stone Cladding: Using stones strengths and overcoming stones weaknesses.

Posted on February 6, 2008
Filed Under Stone, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Greek Temple The lesson of the Greek temple: Thousands of years ago people discovered that stone was a great building material. Look at all the advantages: Stone lasts for ages in all kinds of weather, stone is durable and not easily damaged, and stone looks great. They also learned that stone had some shortcomings. While solid stone can withstand very high compression forces (a pushing force), it is much weaker under tension (a pulling force). To overcome this weakness the early builders had to use very short spans of stone. The principle can be seen in the columns of a Greek temple. The Greeks columns were spaced very close together to prevent the stone beams they supported from breaking due to tension.

Later, people used iron, wood or steel for construction because of their higher tensile strength. But these other materials lacked stones long term durability, resistance to fire and resistance to rust, rot and corrosion.

Today, StonePly offers architects and builders the best of both worlds. StonePly combines the durability, beauty and strength of stone and with the high tensile strength, impact resistance, lightweight and ease of use of aluminum. The stone provides the durable good looks and weather resistance while the aviation type advanced aluminum honeycomb composites provide the strength. StonePly cladding goes up faster, stronger and with less load on the building structure. StonePly stone panels are easier to handle and easier to transport. StonePly stone panels have 60 times the impact strength of solid granite. In addition, large 4’ by 8’ panels can be used.

Have Questions? Need design details? Call us, we are here to help. Our experts will assist you with panel sizes, stone options and attachment options.

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