It tells something of itself in every mineral that colours its surface and in every vein that always leads to a different point. You will never get tired of it, after years and years you will still be appreciating the infinite variations of tone and colour that only time can preserve.
The many varieties available in nature and the specificity of the values conferred to them through processing and sizes make the range of usable stone solutions very wide. Stone has always been the building material par excellence, capable of giving multiple expressive potentials to architecture.
The genesis of every single stone can be traced back to millions of years, while it has been used during the entire course of the Western architecture history and is still being used.Stone seals an intrinsic and strong bond with territory, culture and the way of life of a civilization to the point of becoming its witness over time: expression of that strong bond with our land and with our culture. Therefore, using natural stone is not the same as using any building material, it never remains anonymous but, on the contrary, it tells about itself, and tells about us too.
Despite an incredible range of varieties found in nature, every single stone is actually unique. It is the result of an unrepeatable genesis that has seen the material originate in specific physical and environmental conditions and then undergo the action, protracted for millions of years, of elements such as water, temperature and pressure that have modelled its substance and shape giving us this singular wonder of nature.
A paving can boast a good ratio between applicable load and wear level; some natural stones used in coverings after decades do not show visible traces of deterioration showing an unparalleled chromatic inalterability against atmospheric agents and sunlight.
The history of architecture is full of examples of stone buildings that have lasted for millennia. Stone floors and coverings achieve a very high durability when they are wisely designed, using stones suited to the context and to the function in combination with a correct installation method. So much so that their life cycle will not be limited to the duration of the stone itself but by the duration of the support on which it is applied.
Evaluated throughout its entire life cycle, natural stone proves to be ecologically sustainable. It is a biocompatible material that also acts as a good thermal insulator, as it has an excellent thermal conductivity and a high capacity to store heat; it does not release substances that may be harmful or toxic to human health; it does not charge electrostatically; it is not flammable and at the end of its life it can be recycled to be re-used in construction as a crushing aggregate.
READ MOREEvaluated throughout its entire life cycle, natural stone proves to be economically advantageous. The energy requirement for the production and for heating and cooling the environments where natural stone is installed is considerably lower compared to environments made with other construction materials. The longer the building life, the greater is the economic convenience given by the use of natural stone which proves to be an excellent investment in terms of management costs savings and in the increased market value of the building itself.
READ MORE