THE PURITY AND ARCHITECTURAL BEAUTY OF MARBLE FACADES

Employing state-of-the-art construction methods and inventive design strategies, these contemporary facades seek to restore marble to its former glory.

Timeless, enduring, and stately, marble has been used since ancient Greece and Rome for the most important buildings of civilized society, from temples to bath houses to markets. The expense of quarrying and transporting the stone often constituted the bulk of construction costs, along with the workmanship of shaping and securing the heavy blocks. As the cost of labor increased, use of marble came to be reserved for the most socially significant buildings, such as courthouses and city halls. With technological advances in the last half-century, marble became available not only as traditional dimension stone, but as thin panel cladding.

MATERIAL PROPERTIES AND HISTORY

Marble is a metamorphic rock that derives from the transformation of limestone and other sedimentary carbonate rocks under high heat and pressure. Unlike slate or mica, in which differential stress creates planes of cleavage, marble is non-foliated, which permits its widespread use in sculpture and construction. Hundreds of different types of marble are found throughout the world, including the United States, Europe, Egypt, and India. Characteristic veins and gradations in color result from impurities in the limestone, which move and re-crystallize as the stone metamorphoses into marble. In commercial applications, the term “marble” may refer to a number of geologic formulations, including true calcite and dolomite marbles, as well as travertine, serpentine, and hard limestone.

From the monumental ruins of antiquity to the lavish master baths of today, marble has had a rich and tumultuous history. Once the premier material in the architect’s palette, the difficulties of building with this luxurious stone and the development of cheaper alternatives have led to a steady decline in its use as a facade treatment.

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Originally published at www.tmd.studio on February 16, 2019.