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Although stone provides many beneficial properties to construction, it is often overlooked by other materials in the modern construction of residential and commercial real estate.
To try to understand why the abundant resource has been replaced by concrete, steel and bricks, and why it’s enjoying a resurgence, The Guardian’s Ron Moore spoke to three stone advocates.
Engineer Steve Webb, Stonemasonry Company’s Pierre Bidaud and architect Amin Taha point out that stone is a low-cost material, despite the perception that stone is something only the wealthy can afford.
Affordable housing in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, has stone ceilings, while a social housing scheme in Geneva, Switzerland, is made entirely of stone. Taha added that cutting the stone into bricks is much cheaper than firing the clay.
Concrete, steel and brick are also not as environmentally friendly as stone, which is often readily available. It simply needs to be cut from the quarry and transported to the construction site for installation.
As Moore observes, the other three materials listed above require “several different energy-consuming activities” to be used in construction.
At the same time, the stone is strong, fireproof, and readily available locally, Taha adds, “and we’re sitting on a cold, dry surface of boiling magma.”
Bidaud points out that existing stone structures can also be recycled if necessary. “Any stone building is a quarry,” he said. “It can be dismantled.”
But architects can push for a change in approach, and Weber is annoyed that more in the industry aren’t promoting the use of environmentally friendly building materials.
Best of all, stone is an attractive design choice that’s eye-catching, stark, and bold.
It could also provide cheap and efficient cooling for homes as the planet grapples with rising temperatures due to global warming – for which the construction industry is partly responsible, with the United Nations Environment Program saying that construction is “by far the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions” “Emitting countries” account for a staggering 37% of global emissions. “
In the search for better, more efficient materials to build new homes for a growing population, lime, hemp and seaweed are affordable options that could herald a new sustainable future. However, an ancient and rich answer may lie beneath our feet.
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