DURABILITY ASPECTS IN THE DESIGN OF MASONRY STONE FACADES

摘要

The design process for masonry stone veneers typically involves a series of iterations focused primarily in the selection of the color, shape, and texture of a particular stone type. In addition to aesthetics of the facade, another important condition that is frequently overlooked is the evaluation of the long-term durability characteristics of masonry stone material, as well as its strength characteristics. Moreover, the use of thin stone veneers in exterior wall cladding can result in types of failures in the stone cladding that do not occur in the thicker stone walls. This condition occurs because the use of thin stone cladding places greater reliance on design and on the physical long-term properties of the stone than on the successful performance of the veneers, and failures often occur whenever the design, the construction, and/or the stone material of the veneer system is inadequate.