marble Climate ambitions

Climate Change, rapidly growing megacities and the need for new energy sources are issues that need to be resolved in the urban context. The EU’s new climate ambitions are contained in a European Commission Roadmap for moving to a competitive low-carbon economy in 2050. It says the most cost-efficient way of moving to a low-carbon economy is by achieving a 40% cut in CO2 emissions by 2030 and a 25% cut by 2020, compared with 1990 emission levels. Poland has signaled its opposition to an EU plan for deeper carbon emission cuts. Poland, reliant on coal for more than 90% of its electric power, fears the move would make energy more costly. Coal and other fossil fuels emit CO2, seen as a catalyst for climate change. Motivation behind this project is to rise social awareness on importance of sustainability and alternatives energy sources.

The main topic of the project designed by Mikolaj Scibisz at Cracow University of Technology is the revitalization of historic powerhouse building. Project scope involves analysis of the existing wall fragments to determine elements to preserve, together with the concept of the new part of the object. Subject of reconstruction, was built in several stages. First hall of the building was built in 1901. Further elements were built with growing needs.

The main incentive for the architectural redevelopment of the old powerhouse in Radom, Poland is to reflect social, cultural and technological changes in both physical and functional way. The modern architectural design of the new part will represent dynamic sustainable development of technology and the social lifestyle with the respect to the historical building. Sustainability means not just durability and use of natural energy resources such as natural lighting, but to create a place that people of the local community and visitors can identify and accept as theirs.

lightness in Marble

Showcasing the recently completed floating staircase along with renowned pieces from the Zaha Hadid Architects archive: The Peak Site Plan (1983), Aqua Table (2005), Seamless Collection (2006), Belu Bench (2005), Lotus (2008), Cirrus (2008), Kloris (2008), and Seoul Desk & Table (2009).

The new floating staircase maintains the lightness of the gallery space. Each suspended step is articulated as a separate ribbon cast from Ductal®, an ultra-high performance concrete with exceptional structural as well as aesthetic qualities. The tensile strength of Ductal® allows the ribbons to remain relatively thin with each tread cast from a single adjustable mould that was engineered in Italy by Il Cantiere. The floating staircase has been designed to be demountable.

ZHA Gallery, 101 Goswell Road, London, EC1V

into a Marble Canyon

There is a short but very beautiful trail here, a 1,6 km (return) interpretive trail crosses the narrow gorge over footbridges and ends at a waterfall where Tokumm Creek plummets into the canyon. The trail tells the geological story of Marble Canyon and Prospectors Valley. Blue glacial meltwater, grey limestone walls, and green cliff-dwelling plants make Marble Canyon one of the most colourful canyons in the mountain parks. More 3 km to the south on the Highway 93 from Marble Canyon is Paint Pots. The Paint Pots are pools of water formed by gradual deposition of iron salts around the rim. A 1.5 km trail leads to this point of unique geological and historical interest. About 100 years ago, the colorful earth out of these ochre pools, were collected by the Kootenay people and later by European settlers to use as a coloring agent. Cold, iron-rich mineral springs bubble up through small pools and stain the earth a deep ochre colour....in GreenLand....

Expressions in Marble Works

by Kan Yasuda

The marble sculptures of Kan Yasuda can be summarized as contemplative and serene. Where does this come from and what effect does it have?

It is probably necessary to think of the relationship between nature and man when a sculpture is found to be contemplative. That is because it is man that can make sculptures and that can meditate. Man can contemplate through art works that confront nature.

In this sense, the works of Henry Moore and Isamu Noguchi are also contemplative. The works of Kan Yasuda are a little bit different. Instead of a lofty, intelligent calculated personality, his works portrays the wondrous soothing attraction of appreciating people and interacting people. It can also be said that it is because the contemplation is disinterested and uncalculating.

This is also evident in the comments of his friend Isamu Noguchi. "Yasuda was fortunate in being able to bypass art and produce so fine a work, although he will no doubt insist this was his sole intention."

It can probably be said that the contemplative character was born from fusion with nature, rather than departing from nature or being immersed in nature.

This applies to the geometrically shaped sculptures, such as TENSEI, TENMOKU and TAKOO, as well as the large maternal and generous sculptures with soft lines, including ISHINKI, TENSEN and TENSHO. The poet, Makoto Ooka made the following remarks about Kan Yasuda's works.

"The stone always waits in silence. The sculptor is always being called by the stone, But not all sculptors can hear that deep voice." Kan Yasuda can do more than listen to the deep voice of the stone. He is the kind of sculptor that can make the stone speak of nature. In other words, instead of only speaking to the marble, by speaking to the marble he is able to make the marble speak.

Regardless of what kind of nature the partner is, the various stones quietly whisper through infinite time using their own voices that move between heaven and Earth and speak of the dignity of life.

There were no differences in the voice of the various marble stones that were displayed at the individual outdoor exhibition against the background of the urban landscape of Milan in 1991, at the exhibition located in the beautiful natural setting of Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 1995 and the exhibition in the old capital of Firenze in 2000.

Kan Yasuda went to study under Fazzini in 1970 at the age of 25. After leaving Fazzini, he spent over 25 years working in Pietrasanta, the city of marble. Henry Moore and Isamu Noguchi also studied there. He began his quest for inner reflection while learning about nature's rythms from Fazzini, respect for nature from Henry Moore and Japanese beauty from Isamu Noguchi.

Kan Yasuda made the following comments. "Sculpturing involves using the body to create shapes that have never before existed on the earth. I discovered that the most primitive of these shapes is the egg."

It is easy to see that the shape if the egg, which matches the infinity of marble as a material with the life of the marble which is born through the eternity of time, is the introduction to the methodology of Kan Yasuda works.

Kan Yasuda is aware that children are at the beginning of the period of the both mental and physical growth when there is no consciousness between race or regions of the world. That is why Kan Yasuda would like his works to be appreciated by children most of all. I don't know of the works of any artist that are appreciated and enjoyed by children in a happy vein as much as those of Kan Yasuda. The aim of Kan Yasuda is to have children feel human life allowing the marble to speak by having children touch his sculptures.


It was our intention to have visitors view and feel works of arte set in nature firsthand by placing the sculptures in the Teien Art Museum garden for public viewing. And the Italy in Japan Year being staged here in 2001 is the perfect opportunity for showing off the works of Kan Yasuda who has been studying his art for so long in Italy.


Masaaki Iseki
Director, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum

pure Sounds

Marble Sounds - Good Occasions

Drunk and sore for so many days
But what's to regret

I've had my way
We could have met but i was too shy
The first thing i said was a soft goodbye

I count on countless good occasions
To be quick and to the point

To perceive the situation
But a constant hesitation
Has been turning me around
Here is hope you can still take it

Whispering you're never seen

You're slipping out
Escaping scenes
Keep it real and kick my dreams
Important deals once agreed

It takes a while to value time

I'll take a break
arrive too late
If i fall behind it is you i'll find
In a lovely house
In a lovely town

stoned Environments

In Greek mythology the Chimera was a monstrous fire-breathing creature. She had the body of a lioness, a tail ending in a snake’s head, and a goat’s head arising on her back at the centre of her spine. There are of course many other examples in different cultures that could also be referred to as Chimeras. In genetics, biology and botany a Chimera represents an animal or plant with genetically distinct cells from two different zygotes or genetically different types of tissue; the resulting organism is a mixture of tissues, and of different sets of chromosomes. In paleontology, it is a fossil reconstructed with parts from different animals.

aRC(2)himera is an architectural chimera. From its distinct sets of digital chromosomes and analogue chromosomes evolves a monstrous mix-up of various approaches that go from developing skin morphologies, structure anatomies, ornamental textures, responsive environments, biological growth, robotic behaviour, miniature devices, machined fabrication, interactive media design, sensorial feedback etc. To some this may look and sound outrageous and horrific—as it is neither elegant nor pure, nor truthful or correct (process-wise).

Why this Frankensteinian, modern Promethean approach? The grotesqueness of aRC(2)himera is only relative. aRC(2)himera must be seen in a postvirtual and postdigital context of New Materialism, which marks the ambition to escape from the old unsustainable (socially and environmentally) virtual and cyber architectural visions, and from the old off-the-shelf and unsustainable (environmentally and financially) architectural production methods towards innovative applicable theories, techniques and technologies.

Why being obsessed with digital and nature-mimicry processes if what is really necessary is breeding a chimerical environment that is partly biological, partly technological, partly romantic, partly scary? The ambition of aRC(2)himera is to mark an era of synthesis, hybridity and new potentialities. Today’s postvirtual era is less interested in the almost quasi-religious cyber myth of total liberation from physical limitations (think of the famous goggles or data gloves for example). Digitality is not the alien, the other. Plus, in a postdigital point of view, digitality is fully intertwined with analogue, mixed and biological technologies. Pure mathematical functions just will not suffice. Thus, aRC(2)himera should facilitate the overdue (and for some, accomplished) task of overcoming feelings of alienation and estrangement towards digital technologies, to re-addresses human cognition, augment realities, and develop nature 2.0.

aRC(2)himeras are constitutive occupier of such a conceptual, and material, landscape. Whether they project fear, or power, they can help in humanising the unknown. The ethymological root of monster, ‘monstrum’ means that which teaches, which is again linked to ‘monstrare’, to show; and both deriving from the same base ‘monere’, to warn. So… be warned! Architecture must inevitably respond to the current acute, actually monstrous, political, economic and ecological problems.

aRC(2)himera is part of the year-long brief entitled Form Follows Fetish. Louis Sullivan’s dictum Form Follows Function is certainly one of the most known and also misunderstood statements in architectural history. Falsely propagated as a dictate against ornamentation and in favour of functionalism, yet seemingly still in vogue.

This is an idea of Marble concept to create in a White Pink Building as a body spider.

Ngũ Hành Sơn

Marble Mountains (Vietnamese: Ngũ Hành Sơn; "Five elements mountains") is a cluster of five marble and limestone hills located in Ngu Hanh Son ward, south of Da Nang city in Vietnam. The five 'mountains' are named after the five elements; Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth).

All of the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels, and it is possible to climb to the summit of one of the peaks. Several buddhist sanctuaries can also be found within the mountains, making this a famous tourist destination.

The area is famous for stone sculpture making and stone-cutting crafts. Direct rock extraction from the mountains was banned recently. Materials are now being transported from quarries in Quang Nam province.

environmental Anaplasis

an Examble

Industrialization and mining are destroying China’s natural settings, especially mountains, which are excavated to the point of destruction in man’s search for minerals. These processes don’t just devistate regions’ ecologies; they also displace whole populations of people, separating them from their homes and also their means of living, as many in these rural areas work as farmers. The “Mountain Band-Aid” project seeks to simultaneously restore the displaced Hmong mountain people to their homes and work as it restores the mountain ecology of the Yunnan mountain range.

This is achieved with a two-layer construction project. The outer layer is a skyscraper that is built into and stretched across the mountain. By building the structure into, and as part of, the mountain, the skyscraper helps the Hmong people recover their original lifestyle. It is organized internally by the villagers to replicate the traditional village design they utilized before they were displaced. The building’s placement on the mountain means that its height is mainly determined by the height of the mountain. The design as a whole is one of “dual recovery:” the Hmong people living on the damaged mountain can keep the unique organization of space in their village, recreating it within the skyscraper, but they won’t be contributing to the mountain’s degradation. Instead, they help the mountain’s environmental restoration by recycling domestic water for mountain irrigation. It is this irrigation system that comprises the project’s inner layer: an irrigation system is constructed to stabilize the mountain’s soil and grow plants.

The skyscraper is constructed in the traditional Chinese Southern building style known as Chuan Dou. Small residential blocks are used as the framework: The blocks are freely organized as they were in the original village, but the framework controls this organization of blocks into different floors, acting as the contour line in traditional Hmong village.

a Visual resemblance

Manhattan being the center of the universe and all it was probably inevitable that someone would come along and do to it what sculptors have done to gods and saints and kings and queens since Greco-Roman days: render the place in a giant slab of marble.

"Giant" might actually be something of an underestimate. This thing clocks in at 2.5 tons. 2.5 tons! Your average SUV weighs less.

Even more impressive, though, is the excruciating detail that the artist, Japanese-born, L.A.-based Yutaka Sone, managed to squeeze out of the material. Take a look at the closeups above.

Sone drew on photos, Google Earth images, and even several helicopter rides to build the model to scale.

The point? Let us consult the press release:

“
Whether architectural or natural, landscapes predominate in Sone's oeuvre. The overall shape of the island can be seen to bear a subtle visual resemblance to the physical form of a snow leopard, an animal which features widely throughout the artist's works. Interested in the contrast between man-made and natural, Sone frequently refers to the reclusive mountain cat as a metaphor for both solitude and distinction. ”

to Cave Patagonia

The most spectacular caves network in the world and this Marble Cathedral  is absolutely magnificent. It’s located in Patagonia,Chile on the second largest freshwater lake in South America, General Carrera.Marble cave or cathedral is the main attraction of the lake Lago General Carrera in Chile. Another name for these interesting caves is Las Cavernas de Marmol.
This is an unusual place and is one of the most visited in Patagonia. Labyrinth of caves are located in the beautiful mountain lake on the peninsula of limestone.

to Find data

The MarbleintheWorld DataBank project for operators in the stone industry was launched in 1995.
The prime objective is to bring together potential suppliers and clients who use the MarbleintheWorld DataBank because they know that they can find everything regarding the dimension stone industry there.

the Elegance...the Beauty...

Historical monuments and pieces of ancient sculptures, which are present till these days, prove the importance of marble for architectural works. They speak of the elegance and beauty of marble. Earlier the high price of marble could be afforded only by the riches. So, the palaces, churches and historical buildings only had marble works. Thus marble was a stone that was not found in the house of commoners.

Roman coliseum has been an excellent piece of marble architecture that was built centuries ago. In fact almost every major civilization has used natural stone in the architecture that they have created. Egyptians have used them for the construction of pyramids. Marble in the form of slabs were first used by the Romans. They used it for wall applications. Romans could use this natural stones in the walls as they had invented cement that could hold marble tiles in proper place. History tells that Romans were excellent architects and builders. They had redone the entire city with marble and made it world’s most beautiful city.

Most of the marble sculptures in Rome were made from white marble. It added to the elegance and dignity of the pieces. Sculpture artists have always preferred to use marble for their works as it was easy for them to show all the fine edges on marble. A hard stone, marble can get life if an artist knows how to do the sculpture works. White marble was not only used by the Romans. The popularity of the white marbles was also seen during the time of Renaissance. It has been preferred as a material for carving.

In fact the use of marble and other natural stones have been revived during the Renaissance period. Sculpture made by Michelangelo can be cited as evidence to prove the spread of marble sculpture during the Renaissance. Though a large number of Roman sculptures and marble works were found in white, yet the Romans also preferred to use colored materials for sculpture. In was in first century BC, people in Rome started to use marble in an extensive manner. Most of the Roman buildings were made up of marble during the period of Emperor Augustus. Several architectural pieces of Rome used marble for the decoration. They showed the importance of marble in the field of architecture.

Interiors of some of the Roman churches had excellent marble and mosaic architecture. Most of these churches dated during the period of 12th century to 14th century. The Cosmati marble works, for ages have been considered as a wonderful marble architecture. They were used for the decoration of several building. Pavements at the time of Roman empires also had some marvelous designs made with marble.

Marble also has a significant role in the architectures of other countries. Some of the Indian monuments also show the importance of marble in the architecture of the country. Natural stone marble has not lost its importance architectures of present days. These days too marble is used in all parts of the world for creating unique architectural pieces.
 

Curving the Himalaya

Housed within 55,000 glaciers in the Himalaya Mountains sits 40 percent of the world’s fresh water. The massive ice sheets are melting at a faster-than-ever pace due to climate change, posing possible dire consequences for the continent of Asia and the entire world stand, and especially for the villages and cities that sit on the seven rivers that come are fed from the Himalayas’ runoff as they respond with erratic flooding or drought.

The “Himalaya Water Tower” is a skyscraper located high in the mountain range that serves to store water and helps regulate its dispersal to the land below as the mountains’ natural supplies dry up. The skyscraper, which can be replicated en masse, will collect water in the rainy season, purify it, freeze it into ice and store it for future use. The water distribution schedule will evolve with the needs of residents below; while it can be used to help in times of current drought, it’s also meant to store plentiful water for future generations.

The lower part of the Himalaya Water tower is comprised of six stem-like pipes that curve and wind together and collect and store water. Marble and stone to build, iron, wood to create.Like the stem of a plant, these pipes grow strong as they absorb their maximum water capacity. In each of the six stems, a core tube is flanked by levels and levels of cells, which hold the water. The upper part of the building – the part that is visible above the snow line – is used for frozen storage. Four massive cores support steel cylindrical frames that, like the stems below, hold levels that radiate out, creating four steel tubes filled with ice. In between the two sections are mechanical systems that help freeze the water when the climatic conditions aren’t able to do so, purify the water and regulate the distribution of water and ice throughout the structure.

At the bottom of the structure, surrounding the six intertwined water tubes is a transport system that regulates fresh water distribution to the towns and cities below. The curving channels connect the mountains to the villages, and are also hold within them a railway for the transport of people and goods.

marble Anatomy

Praxiteles is one of the most celebrated of the Attic sculptors, and although very few facts about his life are certain, it is known that he was from Athens and his father, Kephisodotus, was believed to be another renowned Attic sculptor. All of his work is estimated to date from the second half of the 4th century B.C.

Only one of Praxiteles' sculptures still survives, although the authenticity of this piece is doubted by some. However, as a result of his fame and popularity, a great deal of Roman copies of his works were made, many of which have been recovered. His recognition as a great sculptor is clear from the pictures of his sculptures which were engraved on Roman coins, as well as the descriptions given to us by writers such as Pliny the Elder and Pausanias. Praxiteles' school of art was mostly concerned with marble, due to the fine quality of marble from the quarries in Paros at the time. Some of his sculptures were also known to be painted by Nicias, who Praxiteles greatly respected, proclaiming that the best statues were those painted by Nicias.

Praxiteles was highly influential in the development of Greek sculpture, bringing an elegant and sensuous grace to his work. His innovative style was a transformation from the tone set by his predecessors of impressive yet somehow detached sculpture, especially in representations of the gods. Praxiteles overcomes the problem of distancing the viewer by producing a much more humanising view of the gods. Many sculptors from Praxiteles' time chose to use bronze for their sculpture, as it allows greater flexibility in composition due to its tensile strength. However, Praxiteles, although he was skilled in both materials, favoured the use of marble. He points out its advantage over bronze as its ability to resemble the softness and radiance of the skin. The innovations of bronze had allowed sculptors to accurately depict the human anatomy, as well as the responsiveness of the body to various movements or positions. This meant that the sculptures being produced in Praxiteles' time were aiming to create a physically accurate figure. However, Praxiteles was interested in doing more than this; it was his beautiful rendering of surface and texture that made him such a highly praised sculptor.
 

over Thousands of Years

Marble has been used as building materials for over thousands of years, even dating back to the ancient times of the Romans and Greeks. This material is believed to be one of the best materials to be used when constructing one’s home, or even office spaces, and some other form of architecture.

With its durability, strength, resilience and beauty, it is surely a material that most builders would want to use. And, with its different varieties of colors and designs, its application possibilities are virtually limitless, confined only to a person’s imagination.

Marble, which is actually formed when limestone is heated and pressurized within the earth’s crust, can be used as flooring tiles, or even countertops in kitchens, due to its certain characteristics, such as being hypoallergenic and resistant to dirt and bacteria. Marble is used to create very exquisite, yet resilient flooring material, which are quite expensive, but are still very much sought after in the market today. The application for this natural stone can become vast, depending on how people use it, and for what. Some are content on turning this beautiful piece of natural stone into a flooring material, but others push the envelope for its use, creating great works of architectural wonders.

Marble Architectures

One architectural wonder is the Parthenon, which is created during the time of the Greeks. This structure was one of the very few buildings in the Greek era that used marble as part of its construction material. Usually, marble was commonly used as sculptural decoration during this period, due to its cost. Marble, as it is today, was a very expensive building material in Greece back then, and transporting these huge blocks of marble for structural construction was very difficult, which is why it was rarely used when constructing buildings, with the exception of the Parthenon, that is. The marble was mainly used for the construction of the columns and the upper levels of structures, and with the Parthenon’s survival of time, it shows that marble can be very durable and resilient.

The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington also uses marble as part of its construction material. Like other traditional Roman architecture, the U.S. Supreme Court also has free-standing columns defining its exterior on the front of the Supreme Court building. It is characterized by appearing as if it is raised on a podium, with a formal front staircase. The entire exterior of the building uses white marble, echoing Greek and Roman formal architecture. The marble adds a certain regality to the building, which helps make the building distinct.

The Marble House, which is now turned into a public museum, was once one of the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island. The Marble House uses over 500,000 cubic feet of marble costing around $7 million. This architectural feat is left standing for over a hundred years from its construction back in between 1888 and 1892. The marble that was used on the structure gives it its distinct exquisite appearance and aura. It also has columns, just like the Roman and Greek structures, which used marble as its construction material as well.

My Precious!!...

The marble quarries were monitored by the Cybo and Malaspina families who ruled over Massa and Carrara during the 17th and 18th centuries. The family created the Office of Marble in 1564 to regulate the marble mining industry.The city of Massa, in particular, saw much of its plan redesigned (new roads, plazas, intersections, pavings) in order to make it worthy of an Italian country's capital.Following the extinction of the Cybo-Malaspina family, the state was ruled by the House of Austria and management of the mines rested with them. The Basilica of Massa is built entirely of Carrara marble and the old Ducal Palace of Massa was used to showcase the precious stone.
Carrara marble has been used since the time of Ancient Rome; the Pantheon and Trajan's Column in Rome are constructed of it. Many sculptures of the Renaissance, such as Michelangelo's David (1501-04), were carved from Carrara marble. For Michelangelo at least, Carrara marble was valued above all other stone, except perhaps that of his own quarry in Pietrasanta.
 

Ōamaru stone..its Heart...

Limestone is a rock composed mainly of lime (calcium carbonate – CaCO3), almost always formed from shelly material. Some limestones are very fine-grained, originally being a limey ooze on the sea floor, but in other rocks large shell fragments can be seen. Limestone is widespread in New Zealand, and formed mainly in late Eocene to Oligocene time, 25–40 million years ago when much of the New Zealand region was submerged beneath the sea.

The hardness of limestone depends on how deeply it has been buried. Softer rocks such as Ōamaru stone have been compacted, but can still be carved and cut with a saw. Most other limestones have been more deeply buried. The calcium carbonate has crystallised in the pore spaces to form a hard, dense rock that can be polished. When limestone is deeply buried and heated it recrystallises so that the original shelly material cannot be recognised, and it is then called marble.

Ōamaru stone

New Zealand’s most important building stone is a very pure, massive limestone, soft enough to be readily sawn and worked. It is composed mainly of microscopic bryozoa that accumulated as a submarine shellbank in the Ōamaru area. Because of its purity, it is mainly white. Small amounts of volcanic ash give the lower part a yellow tinge, and result in a poorer quality stone.

Whitestone City

With pride in its heritage of neoclassical buildings, Ōamaru has adopted the name Whitestone City for promotional purposes, and holds an annual heritage week in November.

Quarrying began about 1860, and Ōamaru stone was obtained from many different quarries inland and south of Ōamaru. Virtually all stone used for building since the 1940s has come from Taylors or Parkside quarries at Weston, and the latter still works the purest limestone. To extract the stone, it is cut into 2-tonne blocks by a chainsaw cutter, and broken out with a fork-lift loader. In an adjacent factory these blocks are cut into slabs by large circular saws.

The ease of dressing Ōamaru stone made it popular for buildings throughout New Zealand. It has been widely used for decorative work around windows and doors, as well as carved pillars and gargoyles. After several decades it tends to weather and flake. Many older buildings have needed cleaning and repair, but this can now be largely avoided if the stone is sealed.
 

White Marble Statues

That is the image commonly associated with Greek art, but in this section we shall explore that image deeper.  First, there are different types of marble, as it can be obtained from different sites and different areas within each site.  All these varieties of marble are derived from the sedimentation (a slow geological rock formation process) of calcite limestone, and are fundamentally related in that regard.  They differ due to color, texture, weathering, and chemical composition.  Yes, marble it not always white - pure white surfaces were actually avoided by the Greek sculptors for they often made it difficult to see the soft modeling (gentle  curves) of muscles. 

The most common color (going back to the generic image of Greek art) seen in Greek sculpture is a near white; other colors, used primarily when white marble was inaccessible, include Laconia red marble and Egyptian granite marble.  Another key factor that sculptors evaluated before they choose a block of marble to carve was the coarseness or fineness of the marble crystals.  A fine texture enabled the sculptor to achieve greater detail with his work.  But the smaller crystals (of the finer surface) created a duller surface that was more apt to tarnish by the collection of small particles of dirt in crevices between these minute crystals. 

The other extreme choice of texture was the sculptor's option for a coarse surface, with larger crystals that showed readily, which imparted a more brilliant surface to the finished work.  The next factor considered in "choice" marble is how the stone weathers with time.  In general the coarser the texture the less the surface will darken, but other elements are involved in the weathering especially certain chemical constituents with the marble.  One notable example of chemical weathering can be seen today in the Parthenon ruins where the once white color of the marble has turned a rust like orange from the small amount of iron in that particular marble.  Unfortunately, another form of modern day weathering is darkening, which not only changes the color of the marble, but is actually destroying the ancient works of the Greeks at an amazing rate (geologically). 

Acid rain, the infamous result of a modern transportation infrastructure based on the automobile, is the major cause of this darkening.  The growth of cities and their use of petroleum fueled cars has only continued to intensify the problem that leaves no marble statue (ones that are left outside) or building (or ruin) unscathed.   Nothing made of marble that is kept outside can avoid the wrath of acid rain, which can be easily explained in chemical terms.  Marble, as it is composed of calcite limestone, contains the element calcium, which makes it a basic compound (basic, as in the opposite of acidic).  Acid rain is formed when water molecules (such as those in rain clouds) absorb one of two types of sulfurous compounds, SO2 or SO, two chemicals that result from the burning of gasoline.  When clouds contaminated with these compounds start to rain down on the earth and the surface of marble sculptures, a chemical reaction ensues that is analogous to mixing baking soda and vinegar.  This reaction actually eats away some of the marble-- permanently destroying the marble surface.  Efforts to reduce the problem of acid rain (it harms wildlife, plants, crops, soil, and water supplies as well) have lead to the development of catalytic converters on cars, which catch some of the dangerous sulfurous compounds before they exit the exhaust pipe.  However, the problem is far from being eliminated.  Most of the chemical differences between various types of marble are almost imperceptible by ordinary observation, and are only seen through elaborate chemical testing or X-ray analysis.  These discrepancies are useful today to scientists who study where the marble was taken from (e.g. the specific site).  This kind of information can then be used to trace the origin of sculptural works and attribute them (as the sculptors rarely signed their works) to the rightful artist.
 
How can a scientific analysis of a sculpture attribute it to a certain sculptor? 

Although sculpture is usually determined along a stylistic basis, the exact marble itself can also be the signature a sculptor.  The marble itself contributes to creating the artist's style, since certain types of marble offer unique possibilities that a artist will learn to master once becoming accustomed to a specific type of marble.  Surprisingly, the three major Greek sculptural periods (Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic) drew primarily only on four sources for their marble: the three islands of Paros, Naxos, and Thasos, and the site Pentelic of Attica.  Other sources were discovered in later periods, including the immense supply in the Cararra Mountains, which was mined during the Roman era.  The location of an artist also helped determine the marble he used, because one of the major drawbacks with marble is difficulty in transportation of the heavy stone blocks.  Thus, many sculptors selected their marble from the nearest site.  If their planned sculpture was sufficiently large, a rough shape (or finished sculpture) would have to be carved first in order to reduce the weight.  Sometimes marble was totally inaccessible and the next best medium (which is actually easier to carve) was limestone.  Limestone lacks many of marble's most valuable qualities-- primarily the permanence and beautiful white color of marble, characteristics that made marble the "choice" stone for Greek sculptors.  Some other medium alternatives included diorite (a hard black rock), terra cotta (a clay which is strengthened by baking), topaz, and emerald (green quartz).

sugar Rock in percent CaCO3

Makrana is a town in the Nagaur district of Indian state of Rajasthan. Makrana is famous for the white stone as marble mined from the mines around it. It is said that the Taj Mahal was built from Makrana marble. Makrana is a small town, but it has plenty of marble outcrops. Most of the residents in this town work as marble miners.

Makrana has various mining ranges, popularly known as Doongri, devi, Ulodi, Saabwali, Gulabi, Kumari, Neharkhan, Matabhar, Matabhar kumari, Chuck doongri, Chosira and Pahar kua etc.Pahar kua range is supposedly the actual mines from where marble for TAJ MAHAL was extracted.

Doongri, devi, Saabwali, Ulodi, Chosira and Neharkhan are famous for white marble, whereas Ulodi is famous for Albeto Marble. These mines produce white-brown belt beautiful marble. Gulabi stands for pink plain and pink Adanga marble whereas almost all mines produce Adanga marbles with brown and grey shades.

Makrana marble is a metamorphic rock. It is a single deposit in India. The Makrana marble has 90 to 98 percent CaCO3.

Magnificent Marble

Stone therapy is not just about hot stones anymore; working with cold marble stones can be very beneficial to a therapist in deep-tissue corrective massage as well deep relaxing massage. Unlike with ice, the client's body embraces the cold from marble stones.

Even though the marble tends to feel 11 degrees colder than its environment, the body accepts the cold from the marble with ease. Cold marble stones seem to draw the heat and inflammation from the body, instead of depositing cold, as with ice or artificial cold products.

Application of cold acts as a vasoconstrictor. The immediate, short-term effect is stimulating. The prolonged use of cold decreases metabolism, inflammation, pain and muscle spasm; it can also increase muscle tone and has an analgesic effect. Depending on the specific temperature, cold applications can increase or decrease circulation.

Therapeutically, cold marble stones are extremely beneficial directly after an injury to help reduce swelling. During a deep-tissue massage, the cold massage stones can soothe the irritated area, helping to prevent bruising and reduce isolated stress for the client.

Like their hot-stone counterparts, the cold marble stones can relax tension and release restrictions in muscles. Alternating the effects of the cold marble and hot-massage stones are dramatic, causing the blood vessels to vacillate between constriction and dilation. The application of heat and cold causes predictable physiological changes in the body that can have powerful, positive therapeutic effects. The application may be general or local, and of short or prolonged duration.Its called effect vascular gymnastics.
 

Broussonetia Papyrifera

Paper marbling is a method of aqueous surface design, which can produce patterns similar to smooth marble or other stone. The patterns are the result of color floated on either plain water or a viscous solution known as size, and then carefully transferred to an absorbent surface, such as paper or fabric. Through several centuries, people have applied marbled materials to a variety of surfaces. It is often employed as a writing surface for calligraphy, and especially book covers and endpapers in bookbinding and stationery. Part of its appeal is that each print is a unique monotype.

There are several methods for making marbled papers. A shallow tray is filled with water, and various kinds of ink or paint colors are carefully applied to the surface with an ink brush. Various additives or surfactant chemicals are used to help float the colors. A drop of "negative" color made of plain water with the addition of surfactant is used to drive the drop of color into a ring. The process is repeated until the surface of the water is covered with concentric rings.

The floating colors are then carefully manipulated either by blowing on them directly or through a straw, fanning the colors, or carefully using a human hair to stir the colors. In the 19th century, the Kyoto master Tokutaro Yagi developed a method for using a split piece of bamboo to gently stir the colors, resulting in concentric spiral designs. Finally, a sheet of washi paper is carefully laid onto the water surface to capture the floating design. The paper, which is often made of kozo (Paper Mulberry or Broussonetia papyrifera), must be unsized, and strong enough to withstand being immersed in water without tearing.

Another method of marbling more familiar to Europeans and Americans is made on the surface of a viscous mucilage, known as size or sizing in English. This method is commonly referred to as "Turkish" marbling, although ethnic Turkic peoples were not the only practitioners of the art, as Persian Tajiks and people of Indian origin also made these papers. The term "Turkish" was most likely used as a reference to the fact that many Europeans first encountered the art in Istanbul.
Historic forms of marbling used both organic and inorganic pigments mixed with water for colors, and sizes were traditionally made from gum tragacanth (Astragalus spp.), gum karaya, guar gum, fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), fleabane, linseed, and psyllium. Since the late 19th century, an boiled extract of the carrageenan-rich alga known as Irish moss (Chondrus crispus), has been employed for sizing. Today, many marblers use powdered carrageenan extracted from various seaweeds. Another plant-derived mucilage is made from sodium alginate. In recent years, a synthetic size made from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, a common ingredient in instant wallpaper paste, is often used as a size for floating acrylic and oil paints.

In the sized-based method, colors made from pigments are mixed with a surfactant such as ox gall. Sometimes, oil or turpentine may be added to a color,to achieve special effects. The colors are then spattered or dropped onto the size, one color after another, until there is a dense pattern of several colors. Straw from the broom corn was used to make a kind of whisk for sprinkling the paint, or horsehair to create a kind of drop-brush. Each successive layer of pigment spreads slightly less than the last, and the colors may require additional surfactant to float and uniformly expand. Once the colors are laid down, various tools and implements such as rakes, combs and styluses are often used in a series of movements to create more intricate designs.

Paper or cloth, is often mordanted beforehand with aluminium sulfate (alum) and gently laid onto the floating colors (although methods such as Turkish ebru and Japanese suminagashi do not require mordanting). The colors are thereby transferred and adhered to the surface of the paper or material. The paper or material is then carefully lifted off the size, and hung up to dry. Some marblers gently drag the paper over a rod to draw off the excess size. If necessary, excess bleeding colors and sizing can be rinsed off, and then the paper or fabric is allowed to dry. After the print is made, any color residues remaining on the size are carefully skimmed off of the surface, in order to clear it before starting a new pattern.

Contemporary marblers employ a variety of modern materials, some in place of or in combination with the more traditional ones. A wide variety of colors are used today in place of the historic pigment colors. Plastic broom straw can be used instead of broom corn, as well as bamboo sticks, plastic pipettes, and eye droppers to drop the colors on the surface of the size. Ox gall is still commonly used as a surfactant for watercolors and gouache, but synthetic surfactants are used in conjunction with acrylic, PVA, and oil-based paints.

a Black Snake..stoned

Champlain Black Marble

This marble is quarried on Isle LaMotte, an island in northern Lake Champlain, VT, and is often called Radio City Black Marble because of its extensive use in the Radio City Music Hall in NYC. It is a medium hard marble that was formed from limey sediments deposited approximately 450 million years ago during the Ordovician Period in a shallow sea. As a result, numerous fossils, including Gastropods and Crinoid stems, are often found in the stone. We particularly like this stone because by altering the surface finish we can obtain a wide range of tones, from almost black to nearly white.
 

stoned Russia

EXPOSTONE is the main and the biggest in Russia international specialized exhibition for mining, processing, treatment and use of natural stone. For more than 12 years EXPOSTONE gathers in one single place representatives of domestic and foreign companies dealing with mining, processing and application of natural stone. ub 2011 278 companies from 19 countries took part at the area of over 10 000 sq.m.

EXPOSTONE exhibition provides a unique opportunity of direct contacts between Russian stone companies and manufacturers of equipment and tools for mining and processing of natural stone. Sectors: Technology of deposits excavation and stone blocks mining Machines, equipment and tools for mining and processing of stone Natural stone in architecture and town-planning. Restoration works Natural stone and its products in landscape designing and interior design Technologies and means for care preservation of natural stone Art stone products, souvenirs Stone in art and folk trades, stone goods Utilization of stone processing waste Ritual stone goods Special literature, technical press.

http://www.expostone-russia.ru

white Uzbekistan

Ippolito Fleitz Group was assigned the interior design of The Palace of International Forums ‘Uzbekistan’, to only come up with a remarkable interior design scheme which pleases even the most difficult eye.  The Palace of International Forums stands on Amir Timur Square in the very centre of Tashkent, it is considered the country’s most significant representative building; ‘Uzbekistan’ has been designed as a platform for hosting acts of state, congresses, conferences and other cultural highlights.  The task of IIppolito Fleitz Group was to design and furnish the interior in a contemporary manner, while integrating elements from traditional Uzbek architecture. 
The result?  A cosmopolitan, communicative interior clothed in exclusive materials, planar ornamentation, organic movement, crystals, precious metals and a mesmerizing interplay of artificial and natural light all become a source of inspiration!

The Palace of International Forums has maintained the classical external elements for its appearance, yet it hints to the visitor its modern interior through the extensively glazed façade.   In its modern interior ‘Uzbekistan’ consists of six main areas:  the foyer, the auditorium, the VIP foyer, the banqueting hall, the conference room and the restaurant area. 

The main foyer overlooks behind elucidated façade columns of Greek Thassos marble, while a correspondingly hefty epochal semicircular Swarovski chandelier hangs boldly in it.  The oversized chandelier creates a juxtaposition of architectural elements and introduces an amalgamation of Eastern and Western cultures.
yatzer.com

Άτλαντες Μαρμαροφορίας

ΤΕΧΝΟΛΟΓΙΑ ΜΑΡΜΑΡΟΥ

Ο τομέας “Τεχνολογία Μαρμάρου” (εντοπισμός, μελέτη, εξόρυξη, επεξεργασία, ποιοτικός έλεγχος, διάδοση μαρμάρου και προϊόντων του) είναι ένας ιδιαίτερα σημαντικός κλάδος παραγωγής και μεταποίησης στην Ελλάδα και κυρίως στις περιοχές Καβάλας, Δράμας και Θάσου. Σε αυτές τις τρεις περιοχές δραστηριοποιούνται επί σειρά ετών πολλές επιχειρήσεις (λατομεία, μαρμαροβιομηχανίες), η εμπορική εμβέλεια των οποίων ξεπερνά τα εθνικά όρια (80% περίπου του εξαγώγιμου μαρμάρου της χώρας μας). Η βιωσιμότητα παρόμοιων επιχειρήσεων και το ενδιαφέρον περαιτέρω δραστηριοποίησης στον τομέα του μαρμάρου, φαίνεται και από την έντονη κινητικότητα που παρατηρείται στην αγορά των προϊόντων του.

Η κινητικότητα αυτή εκδηλώνεται με τρεις ·κυρίως μορφές:

α) Δημιουργία νέων επιχειρήσεων, κυρίως εξόρυξης και επεξεργασίας μαρμάρου.

β) Προώθηση των προϊόντων αυτών των επιχειρήσεων σε συνεχώς διευρυνόμενες διεθνείς αγορές.

γ) Προσπάθεια για συγκρότηση φορέων συνεργασίας μικρότερων βιοτεχνικών μονάδων, με τη συνεργασία εταιρειών προερχόμενων από άλλους επιχειρηματικούς κλάδους.

Οι υπάρχουσες επιχειρήσεις πρωτογενούς και δευτερογενούς παραγωγής μαρμάρου (εξόρυξης και επεξεργασίας αντίστοιχα) βασίζονται σήμερα κυρίως στη μεγάλη ζήτηση που υπάρχει στην αγορά, στην άφθονα διαθέσιμη πρώτη ύλη και λιγότερο στον αυτοσχεδιασμό όλων των εμπλεκομένων φυσικών και νομικών προσώπων. Η κρατική παρουσία εμφανίζεται με τη μορφή έντονης παρέμβασης, κυρίως σε οικονομικής φύσεως θέματα και στον εξαναγκασμό για προσφυγή σε μεγάλο τραπεζικό δανεισμό, κάθε φορά που απαιτείται η αντιμετώπιση προβλημάτων. Είναι αυτονόητο, ότι χωρίς την ύπαρξη θεσμικής τεχνικής υποστήριξης (κυρίως στην επεξεργασία μαρμάρου), της κατεύθυνσης σε παραγωγή προϊόντων ύστερα από μελέτη της αγοράς και συντονισμό των δραστηριοτήτων όλων των απασχολούμενων επιχειρήσεων, τα προβλήματα που θα ανακύψουν θα είναι δυσεπίλυτα, κυρίως λόγω του υπάρχοντος έντονου ανταγωνισμού από άλλες χώρες.

Το ΤΕΙ Καβάλας έχει το πλεονέκτημα να βρίσκεται στο κέντρο μιας κατεξοχήν πλούσιας περιοχής σε κοιτάσματα μαρμάρου. Επιπλέον, βρίσκεται σε χώρο με δυνατότητες ελέγχου της αγοράς γειτονικών χωρών και παροχής σχετικών διευκολύνσεων στον τομέα επεξεργασίας, ποιοτικού ελέγχου και διανομής των προϊόντων μαρμάρου με ποικίλα μέσα.

Οι δραστηριότητες του προτεινομένου Ερευνητικού Τομέα στο Κ.Τ.Ε. προβλέπονται ως εξής:

•Η καταγραφή και κατάταξη κατά κατηγορία των εν ενεργεία κοιτασμάτων μαρμάρου, καταρχήν στις περιοχές Ανατολικής Μακεδονίας και Θράκης και στη συνέχεια σε όλη την ελληνική επικράτεια (πιστοποίηση ταυτότητας του ελληνικού μαρμάρου σύμφωνα με την οδηγία ΤC 246/92 της Ε.Ε.).
•Η συγκέντρωση, ταξινόμηση και μελέτη των προβλημάτων, που ανακύπτουν καθ’ όλη τη διαδικασία από τον εντοπισμό ενός κοιτάσματος μαρμάρου μέχρι την προώθηση των προϊόντων μαρμάρου στην ελληνική και διεθνή αγορά.
•Η μελέτη για εφαρμογή των κατάλληλων μεθόδων σε όλο το φάσμα των δραστηριοτήτων των σχετικών με τα μάρμαρα, κυρίως σε ότι σχετίζεται με την αντιμετώπιση προβλημάτων, όπως στον εντοπισμό του μαρμάρου, στη μελέτη δυνατότητας εκμετάλλευσης και περαιτέρω επέκτασης του λατομείου, στις σύγχρονες μεθόδους εξόρυξης, κοπής και επεξεργασίας μαρμάρου, στην προστασία του περιβάλλοντος από την εκμετάλλευση των λατομείων, στην αξιοποίηση των παραπροϊόντων των λατομείων.
•Η εκπόνηση “Ατλαντος Μαρμαροφορίας”, όπως και η δημιουργία “Μουσείου Μαρμάρου” για τη διεθνή προβολή του.
•Η διερεύνηση τη διεθνούς αγοράς και της εξαγωγικής δραστηριότητας, καθώς και η οργάνωση δικτύων πώλησης και μεταφορών.
•Η μελέτη δημιουργίας νέων προϊόντων από την επεξεργασία του μαρμάρου, ανάλογα με τη ζήτηση που διαμορφώνεται στην ελληνική και στις διεθνείς αγορές, η ανάπτυξη νέων μεθόδων κατεργασίας/επεξεργασίας και η αξιοποίηση των παραπροϊόντων κατεργασίας.
•Η έκδοση προδιαγραφών - ποιότητας τελικών προϊόντων και η πιστοποίηση της τήρησης των προδιαγραφών τους.
•Η παροχή υπηρεσιών διασύνδεσης και συνεργασίας των υφισταμένων μικρών και μεσαίων βιοτεχνικών και βιομηχανικών μονάδων, με σκοπό τη συγκρότηση βιώσιμων και πλήρως ανταγωνιστικών συγκροτημάτων, κυρίως για την αντιμετώπιση ομοειδών συγκροτημάτων του εξωτερικού.
•Η εκπαίδευση και εξειδίκευση όλων των εμπλεκομένων στην υπόψη διαδικασία, με σκοπό τη βελτιστοποίηση όλων των παραμέτρων τεχνικής και οικονομικής απόδοσής τους.