(June 2010) Diamond wires with nanostructure is the goal of a research project funded and promoted by the European Commission dubbed „Nuwire“. It is a Ibero-Italian joint venture (Spanish) aimed at reducing waste and production costs.
A world-wide call for donations was called to life by the Marble Institute of America. Companies in the stone branch are asked to contribute so that US-based scientists can compile correct data on the sustainability of natural stone and its advantages for the environment: Natural Stone Sustainability Fund.
A cell phone with a marble corpus is produced by Mobiado.
An I-Phone-Application was brought to life by the British based Lapicida Company where users can view photos of various types of natural stone.
Lithoverde is the name of a new type of masonry stone made to 99% of waste from marble production. The remaining 1% is resin used a cohesive substance. The product was developed by the Italian based Salvatori Company (1, 2).
Also available for purchase are flat skipping stones which children use to skip stones on ponds or lakes. Berlin based designers are marketing the product.
The Piedra Stone Fair held from May 5th to 8th in Madrid was once more the stage of the International Architectural Awards (Spanish). Statistics for the branch were also presented (Spanish): Production declined in 2009 in the branch over all by -14,5% as compared to the same period a year prior and reached a total turnover of 2.15 billion €. Exports were down by -18% making up a total turnover value of 712 billion €.
Innovative products for stone and ceramics were presented at Coverings held from May 27th to 30th and awarded the Select-Prize. The entries can be viewed on the special webpage. The Prism Awards, however, were not presented this year as the concept is being overhauled. The number of attendees was 23,080, 5.1% more than 2009, according to the fair organizers.
„Stone Cancer“ is afflicting Rome’s coliseum and Italian specialists are sounding the sirens (Italian). By this chemical changes in the material are meant, which devour the substance like metastasizing tumours. The cause is smog and vibrations resulting from loud concerts.
Novel ideas for gravestones in Germany were eligible to compete for a prize (German).
Video of the month: landscape architects are working with recycled material around New York’s Brooklyn Bridge Park, i.e. with granite from a dismantled bridge (Video, 1).