INSULATED STONE CLADDING – IS IT THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION?

Insulated stone cladding systems offer the potential to improve the energy performance, appearance and sense of place created by buildings, for less cost than total demolition and rebuild with new cheaper facade materials. Dr Martin Kirk of Kirk Natural Stone Developments looks at the sustainability and relevance of insulated stone cladding to modern construction and re-construction. Stone cladding initially has some negative perceptions to overcome – high cost and that enduring image in many people’s minds of the garish yellow and blue stone cladding applied to the Duckworth’s terraced house in Coronation Street. Despite such perceptions, insulated stone cladding could well represent the future of sustainable construction according to a leading stone industry expert. Dr Martin Kirk of Kirk Natural Stone Developments explains ‘The low whole life cost, exceptional sustainability credentials, improved energy performance and the opportunity to create buildings which add to the long term architectural fabric of an area, make a very compelling case for facing buildings with insulated natural stone cladding systems.’ ‘Although the Victorians and earlier builders extensively used stone for the total construction of public buildings such as schools, hospitals, housing, halls etc., the concept of using stone for the total construction of modern buildings, even for prestige office/hotel developments, is usually rejected at the early design stage based on misunderstood high initial cost perceptions, without giving thought to the exceptionally sustainable low whole life build costs offered by stone’ Dr Kirk went on to explain ‘ Retro-fitting stone cladding to existing structurally sound (especially aesthetically challenged 1950’s/60’s/70’s concrete or brick buildings) makes an even more compelling case, and offers the potential to provide better quality, longer lasting buildings with exceptionally low whole life cost for much less initial cost than total demolition and rebuild in cheaper poorly weathering building facade materials, presently seen all too often’. ‘Having spent much of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s constructing public and other prominent buildings in our towns and cities with the then latest new facade materials, we have spent much of the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s condemning such aesthetically challenged buildings as ‘no longer fit for purpose’, and unfortunately demolishing and replacing them just 30-40 years later, with the latest poorly weathering faced materials, such as timber and thin metal cladding with a high probability they will perpetuate a similar trend in the 21st century 30’s, 40’s and 50’s’. ‘However, once a building has been faced in stone, there is very little requirement for future maintenance or any need to demolish and rebuild for literally 100’s of years, as history has proved. Whether for new build or retrofit an insulated stone cladding system has exceptionally high sustainability credentials and is especially relevant to private/public rented housing, education, healthcare and other public sector buildings types, where budgets are often tight and the benefits of low whole life costs offered by the system can be fully realised by long building service life and low maintenance costs’. ‘The three main principles of sustainable construction are low whole life costing, low maintenance requirement and long building service life. Buildings faced with insulated stone cladding systems tick all three’.

For more information on INSULATED STONE CLADDING – IS IT THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION? talk to Kirk Natural Stone Development Ltd