Aug 30
2024

Stone benches in cities were once used by the poor who were waiting for alms in front of the houses of rich merchants to sit down.

The material with its great thickness makes 3D ornaments or reliefs in an infinite range possible

Solid construction with natural stone not only offers great opportunities to reduce the ecological footprint of a building, but also new possibilities for the design of the façades. Because suddenly the architects are dealing with a really thick material – previously the panels in curtain walls were only a few centimeters thick and the planners were careful not to reduce them even further for an artistic design.

In 2015, the architect Christoph Sattler had already advocated making façades more than just wall cladding in his keynote speech for the German Natural Stone Prize on the sidelines of Stone+tec in Nuremberg. He had advocated “reliefs and ornaments”.

In his view, these help to make the city lively and a place worth living for the citizens.

But this does not mean the antique decoration of columns and capitals or the romantic flower arrangements made of stone on the façades.

This means designs of our time.

As part of our “Worldwide” series, we have once again gone into our photo archive and sorted out facade pictures. The majority come from Fürth, a neighboring town of Nuremberg, whose old town is built entirely from local sandstone.

If the topic interests you, dear readers, send us your own photos. We will then publish them in our “Natural.Stone.Forum” group on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8988932/ and on Stone-Ideas.com.

Stone benches in cities were once used by the poor who were waiting for alms in front of the houses of rich merchants to sit down.We would be particularly pleased to hear about observations that are not immediately obvious. For example: stone benches in cities. Our photo shows them from Milan: they were once used by the poor who were waiting for alms in front of the houses of rich merchants to sit down.
 

Even the old master builders could not resist the temptation to give the solid building blocks a design. The photos are from the Facebook page “Taille de Pierre”.Even the old master builders could not resist the temptation to give the solid building blocks a design. The photos are from the Facebook page “Taille de Pierre”.
 

Nowadays, much more is possible thanks to the use of CNC technology. The photo shows the façade of the Maison Delas Frères winery by Carl Fredrik Svenstedt.Nowadays, much more is possible thanks to the use of CNC technology. The photo shows the façade of the Maison Delas Frères winery by Carl Fredrik Svenstedt.
 

Another of Svenstedt’s ideas is the façade for the Les Domaines Ott winery.Another of Svenstedt’s ideas is the façade for the Les Domaines Ott winery.
 

Some of the façades in the old city center of Fürth (near Nuremberg), which is built entirely from local sandstone, are more restrained in design.Some of the façades in the old city center of Fürth (near Nuremberg), which is built entirely from local sandstone, are more restrained in design.
 

However, there are also some with a more ornate design, as was the taste of the time after 1880.However, there are also some with a more ornate design, as was the taste of the time after 1880.
 

You can also find lovely little things...You can also find lovely little things…
 

... and the taste of the period is also reflected in the façades (here: Art Nouveau).… and the taste of the period is also reflected in the façades (here: Art Nouveau).
 

Atelier Archiplein.Atelier Archiplein, Atelier Perraudin.As far as the current state of the art in solid stone construction is concerned, architects are very sensitive to what is possible. This is shown in the window cladding in these projects by Archiplein in Geneva (1, 2).
 

Natural stone façades in Fürth.Natural stone façades in Fürth.Natural stone façades in Fürth.Finally, let’s take a look around Fürth, because there are many unusual buildings whose natural stone façades are artistically designed in stone from top to bottom.

See also:

(30.08.2024, USA: 08.30.2024)