Reasons Why Natural Stone Is Sustainable
Natural Stone is the perfect choice for creating timeless homes that are also sustainable.
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Choosing natural stone demonstrates that you take responsibility to care for the Earth by striving to preserve, restore or improve the natural environment.
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Modern building materials that dominate the commercial and residential building markets are often full of chemicals, plastics and other harmful substances, yet we continue using them in spite of the global outcry for climate change. Even those building materials that boast of how recyclable they are may end up in a landfill. After all, have you ever seen a demolition crew neatly separate and sort its debris?
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Even if those building materials were commonly recycled, recycling still has an end-game that includes waste leading to the landfill, where it breaks down into a sea of pollutants that leech into the surrounding environment. The solution has been in front of us for centuries, consider using environmentally-friendly building materials like natural stone.
What makes stone sustainable?
1. Stone is a natural product of the Earth. The original green building material. It does not require other materials or resources to create it.
There is an abundant supply with different veinings, textures, colors, shapes and technical characteristics that make it possible for stone to be used in a wide array of applications.
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Stone varying appearance is the result of millions of years of geologic change and mineral composition. Natural stone contains no harmful chemicals or toxins. You can ensure that your interior environment will be healthy, an important component of sustainable design.
Marble quarry in Carrara Italy
2. Natural stone minimizes the environmental impact, improves energy efficiency, conserve natural resources and uses renewable energy.
It reduces energy consumption and the emissions of CO2 to the atmosphere thus increasing the quality of life.
Energy consumption is the main factor in sustainable architecture. A more efficient façade clad in natural stone requires less heat generating or dissipating power, it increases ventilation to circulate the air and keeps the building cool.
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Facades in Natural stone and glazing excel in regards to energy efficiency, in comparison to a building with an all glass façade. The heat transfer coefficient for a façade of natural stone and glass is far below that of an all glass façade, that’s because of the lower heat conductivity of stone in comparison to glass. This results in better insulation keeping the heat, therefore lower heat loss in winter, a cooler interior during summer resulting in lower air-conditioning costs.
3. Stone is very durable.
Stone stands the test of time which means the choice to use natural stone will only enhance the value of your home while reducing the need to replace materials over a longer period of time. Stone such as marble, limestone, travertine, quartzites will age beautifully and gracefully providing years of use and enjoyment.
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For many decades marble has been a great symbol of wonderful architecture and sophisticated lifestyle. Superb historic structures like the Colosseum in Rome Italy, The Great Pyramids at Giza in Cairo Egypt, The Taj Mahal in Agra India, The Supreme Courthouse and Washington Monument in Washington D.C need no introduction as they speak of the value themselves.
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The magnificent Taj Mahal in ivory white marble was first built in 1648 while The Colosseum built of travertine limestone was built in 1780 still stands today, only confirms the durability of marble when used as surfaces for kitchen and bathroom countertops.
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Stone can easily stand up to high traffic, can be used in courtyards, foyers, kitchens and baths and is designed to last 50 or even 100 years. Durability is especially important when choosing sustainable materials so that new resources aren’t used to create new materials so often.
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When you compare materials, compare them from a life-cycle cost perspective. Even if stone is more expensive initially, it will more than pay for itself and reduce costs in the future in comparison to other materials that need to be repaired or replaced frequently.
Statuario white marble installed as flooring for a residential project.
4. Stone offers ease of care and maintenance.
Stone will last for years and reward you with its beauty with very little maintenance. The only real maintenance natural stone may need from time to time is a power washing to clean it of surrounding environmental pollution. There is a wide range of fabrication options and finishes that can be applied to natural stone that will also enhance its performance in resisting weather, wear and tear or making it slip resistant.
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There are many finishes of marble and stone that are scratch resistant making it a great choice for flooring. Stone is tough and hard to damage however finishes such as Honed, Brushed and Antiqued are great in high traffic areas as they are not reflective thus hiding any damage. Stone can be honed and given a slight polish just to give it a subtle shine.
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Most stone can be cleaned with a mild dish soap and water. Eliminating the need for harsh chemicals. There are cleaners made specifically for natural stone that are affordable and easy to use. Many of these cleansers are approved to meet sustainability standards which means they contain no harmful chemicals and won't pollute the environment.
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Last but not least, it is heat resistant and durable.
5. Stone is completely recyclable and has the potential to serve many different uses and purposes over its lifetime.
Salvaging and recycling stone is a very viable option and a sustainable way to ensure that the useful life of the material will be lived out to its fullest.
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Recycling isn't a solution for most materials. When you recycle natural stone, it’s still stone and can be recycled many times. Stone won't hurt the earth when it returns to it.
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There are many potential uses and applications for recycled and salvaged stone. For example, an old stone building can be dissembled and the stone reformed or refurbished for use as paving materials, retaining walls or an exterior façade. Small flat stones can be repurposed to create a completely new design or appearance.
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Centuries of patina have given the surface a soft velvety texture, the allure of antique materials such as Aged French Limestone Tiles provides a sense of history or nostalgia in a home as they are salvaged from ancient buildings such as chateaus, vineyards, farmhouses, old homes and structures.
Image Reclaimed French Limestone from France installed in a residential project.
These designs of mosaics are the result of using stone scraps from the fabrication process resulting in a new aesthetic while also reducing waste.
6. Advancement in technology, improved methods of quarrying, extraction and fabrication have led to increased options and reduced costs of stone products making natural stone easier to use and more desirable than ever before.
Over the years natural stone quarries have been reclaimed much faster and more efficiently, new technologies have prevented unnecessary environmental damage. In many cases quarries have been replaced with modern mining techniques that have less impact on their surrounding landscape.
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Conserving resources, preventing pollution and minimizing waste are some ways the stone industry is eco-friendly through practices that support sustainable design requirements.
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Through your selection of natural stone, you can be a part of using a material that is natural and is handled in a sustainable manner from the quarry stage through to its installation and useful long life.
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Let us help you contribute to this green practice for your modern home design elements.
This bathtub was designed and fabricated through the use of robotics.
The use of computer numerically controlled (CNC) machinery improves the accuracy and efficiency of the stone cut, while also saving time and resources.
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The choice to design with natural stone is a very personal one but using natural material should be taken into consideration to help with the decision-making process.