Τετάρτη 13 Ιουνίου 2012

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.

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