Stone and Architecture

 Eva Portas Fernández, Technical consultancy area Granite Technology Center www.fctgranito.es

Rogerio Moutinho, MGLW (United Kingdom)

What do architects and designers really look for, when they want to use natural stone?

Without trying to be too simplistic, what one really wants when choosing natural stone for a project is:

1.- A stone with the right colour and pattern

2.- A stone that is suitable or adequate for the purpose, i.e., it is hard enough,not too absorbent, etc.

3.- That the natural stone is fairly easily available, i.e., in the quantity that one requires, and is so within the time frame of the project.

An initiative of WONASA (World Natural Stone Association) www.wonasa.com

In many cases the detergents are responsible for the loss of shine and some deterioration in the surface of the stones. This is the result of formation of salts inside the small pores which are in the stones.

The abundance of chemical compounds which permit that every detergent cleans more or cleans better, is responsible for dirtying from inside the pores of the stones with salts that when dissolved in water, enter easily but remain there when the water evaporates, because the salts do not evaporate.

Facades of natural stone show remarkable energetic advantages in comparison with glass facades. This is the result of an extensive study that compares facades of natural stone and glass.