SYSTEMS/STONE PANELS
4.5 STONE PANELS
Stone panel facades have offered richness and durability for ages. The development of thin stone
curtain walls and other technical advances have renewed interest in stone facades. A variety of
stone materials are in use today, mainly limestone, marble and granite, and a variety of systems for
the attachment of stone facades exist including their serving as a veneer over concrete masonry
backup walls, truss systems on metal framing and mounting on aluminum mullions as in glass and
metal curtain walls. The design of stone panel systems employing aluminum mullions is covered in
Smith and Peterson. Thin stone veneers can also be mounted on mullions with structural silicone
(Carbary). The recent availability of thin stone veneers has increased the options for the use of
stone. A recent ASTM publication (Donaldson) contains much useful information on stone wall
technology, particular for thin stone systems. This section addresses the thermal integrity of the
thin stone panel systems that dominate current stone panel construction, as opposed to the heavy,
load-bearing stone construction of the past.
PAGE 4.5-1
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