Blog: From the Bedrock

​​Facades Systems: Characteristics and Performance of Cast Stone Vs Natural Stone

Posted by Steve Schrenk

It’s essential for architects to know how the material chosen for a project will perform under a variety of conditions and circumstances. Architects are faced with many building material options, but for designs or applications that call for cladding stone, there are fundamentally two options:

Topics: Granite, Marble, Limestone, Marble and granite, American natural stone, Exterior applications, Sustainable Design, exterior, Indiana Limestone, French limestone, Stone Facades, Natural stone cladding

Once Abandoned, Grand Old Buildings Are Now At the Forefront of Modern Architecture

Posted by Steven Schrenk

Photo by Gensler

Turn-of-the-century post offices in major urban centres are among America’s most architecturally significant buildings. But, as the postal industry waned with the advent of electronic communication, the remarkable buildings these institutions often inhabited were often vacated and

Topics: Architecture & Design Trends, Historic restoration, Natural Materials, Exterior applications, Sustainable Design, Indiana Limestone

Celebrate Indiana Limestone Month With A Walking Tour of Chicago

Posted by Steven Schrenk

We’re celebrating Indiana Limestone Month with a look at how this fine natural stone helped build much of Chicago’s storied skyline, and its role in turning the city into a top architectural destination.

Indiana Limestone’s place in Chicago’s history is a deep and durable one. Though it’s

Topics: History and Heritage, Architecture & Design Trends, Historic restoration, Limestone, American natural stone, Exterior applications, Indiana Limestone, Natural stone cladding

The White Granite That's Replacing Carrara Marble is Quarried in Vermont

Posted by Steven Schrenk

The Grande Arche de la Défense was completed in 1989 to celebrate the bicentennial of the French Revolution, however, in the years since, there has been little to celebrate: There were issues with the exterior of the arch from nearly the start. The area around the north side was even sealed

Topics: Architecture & Design Trends, Granite, Bethel white, American natural stone, Exterior applications

Why Do Leading Firms Use American Marble? An Interview with MdeAS’ Architect Partner Dan Shannon

Posted by Steven Schrenk

Courtesy of MdeAS Architects

MdeAS is a prominent New York City based architecture firm that has created modern and progressive design solutions responsible for some of the most prestigious buildings in the Big Apple. A growing list of MdeAS NYC projects include the General Motors Building, 888

Topics: Architecture & Design Trends, Cambrian Black, Pearl Grey Marble, White Cherokee Marble, Exterior applications, Solar Grey, Laurentian Green Granite

Take a Walking Tour of the Windy City’s Architectural Wonders

Posted by Steven Schrenk

An architecture tour of Chicago is on every visitor’s must-do list. It’s not surprising, given the city’s collection of incredible buildings. In fact, Chicago claims to have invented the skyscraper. Any Windy City architecture tour allows visitors to marvel at the feats of engineering and

Topics: History and Heritage, Architecture & Design Trends, Historic restoration, Limestone, White Cherokee Marble, Bethel white, Exterior applications, Indiana Limestone

How Do You Fabricate a Neoclassical Stone Mansion? With Tools, Talent and a Whole Lot of Marble.

Posted by Steven Schrenk

In their work in the Pacific Northwest, the craftsmen at Red Leaf Group are privileged to work on many architecturally inspired buildings, but few as special (and challenging) as a modern neoclassical mansion completely clad and ornamented in American limestone.

Topics: Limestone, Saint Clair, Exterior applications

American Black Granite Proves Unique and Versatile For Large Scale Architectural Projects

Posted by Steven Schrenk

In Pennsylvania a little known quarry is turning out a black granite with dramatic veining, and it’s showing up in both living rooms and city parks.

Topics: Black, American black granite, Exterior applications

Stone Cladding in Half the Time (With the Thinnest Stone)

Posted by Steven Schrenk

Back in 2014 Hugo Vega, vice president of sales North America at Polycor, noticed that the architects he was calling on were lacking a thin stone veneer that was light enough and strong enough for cladding large scale architectural projects. After some R&D within the company, Polycor went on to

Topics: Material Selection, Thin Stone, Fabrication, Exterior applications

Soft on Color, Hard on Density, Meet SAINT CLAIR™ Marble

Posted by Steven Schrenk

Cut it linear or on the rift, rough it up or make it shine. No matter how you slice it, this American marble is the versatile, durable answer to all your soothing grey dreams.

Topics: Kitchen, Saint Clair, Exterior applications

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