Stone cladding: Life Cycle Cost / Durability

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

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.

Comments

Leave a Comment

If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Comments

Comments are closed.

Recently


Categories


Archives