An AIA Continuing Education Program

Credit for this course is 1 AIA HSW CE Hour

Course Sponsor

100 S. Royal Lane Coppell, Texas 75019

Ph. (469)635-5000 Fax (469)635-5555

E-mail dons@stonepanels.com

Web www.StonePanels.com

OVER 35 YEARS OF

INNOVATION IN NATURAL

STONE CLADDING

From Stone Panels, Inc.®

Course Number

sti04a

Course Title Light Weight

Honeycomb Reinforced Stone Cladding System

© Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. 2005

Light Weight Honeycomb Reinforced Stone Cladding System

Please note: you will need to complete the conclusion

quiz online at Ronblank.com to receive credit

An American Institute of Architects (AIA) Continuing Education Program

Approved Promotional Statement: Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. is a registered provider with The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System. Credit earned upon completion of this program will be reported to CES Records for AIA members. Certificates of Completion are available for all course participants upon completion of the course conclusion quiz with +80%. Please view the following slide for more information on Certificates of Completion through RBA This program is registered with the AIA/CES for continuing professional

education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA or Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.

An American Institute of Architects (AIA) Continuing Education Program

Course Format: This is a structured, web-based, self study course with a final exam. Course Credit: 1 AIA Health Safety & Welfare (HSW) CE Hour Completion Certificate: A confirmation is sent to you by email and you can print one upon successful completion of a course or from your RonBlank.com transcript. If you have any difficulties printing or receiving your Certificate please send requests to certificate@ronblank.com Design professionals, please remember to print your certificate of

completion after successfully completing a course conclusion quiz. All AIA

and non-AIA members will be sent a copy of their certificate to the email

address they have provided in their RonBlank.com account.

Please note: you will need to complete the conclusion

quiz online at Ronblank.com to receive credit

Course Description

Review composite wall panels made of thin natural stone veneer

reinforced with an aluminum honeycomb backing. The stone

veneer can be almost any stone including granite, marble, and

limestone. Learn about the many aspects and benefits of a stone

panel system.

Course Objectives

Upon Completion of this course the Design Professional will be

able to:

Define stone panel cladding systems and explain the need for reinforcing.

List the design decisions associated with reinforced stone cladding systems.

Describe the manufacturing process, product capabilities, and installation methodologies of stone panel systems.

Knowledgeably design and specify lightweight reinforced natural stone wall systems.

Why H/C Reinforced Lightweight Stone?

Here is an overview of the reasons why lightweight aluminum honeycomb-reinforced natural granite, marble, and limestone cladding is a great alternative with building owners, architects and contractors. Lower installed cost More design flexibility Sizes – 4ft. or 5ft. wide x 8 ft. to 10 ft. long 80% less weight than 3-cm thick typical slab granite panels 60 times greater impact strength than 3cm thick traditional slab

granite panels Resists hurricane large missile impact force testing Impervious to water penetration High flexural strength, far superior to typical slab granite panels Withstands seismic racking and shear movement Proven performance in all climates Green – use of stone veneer saves approximately 65% of natural

stone resources. Lightweight, less fuel for transporting, and no heavy equipment

needed for installing

What Is A Stone Panel?

This lightweight stone product is composed of a 3/16” to 1/4” thick veneer of granite, marble, travertine, slate or limestone; bonded with high strength epoxy to a substrate of aircraft quality aluminum honeycomb. This is accomplished by placing a layer of epoxy reinforced glass cloth directly over the stone to provide crack and fracture resistance in addition to flexure and impact strength. For exterior construction, there is a second layer of epoxy-glass cloth applied and bonded to the stone for added strength and to render the stone panel totally impervious to moisture penetration. The honeycomb core has thin aluminum walled cells. It works like the web of a beam, separating the reinforced skin on the stone side and the skin on the backside. Although the thermal coefficient of expansion for aluminum is three (3) times greater than that of stone, a potential problem is eliminated because the aluminum walls are perpendicular to the plane of the stone.

Stone Panels The Manufacturing Process

Manufacturing Lightweight Honeycomb Stone Panels

The first step to manufacturing lightweight honeycomb stone is to quarry natural granite, marble or limestone.

Large blocks are cut out in the quarry.

The stone veneer is quarried from one of many locations throughout the world. Italy is a principle source for many architectural stones, but only a few types of marble, travertine and granites are actually quarried there. France is best known for its’ wide range of limestones. Marble, granite, travertine, limestone and slate are quarried in other European countries as well as in US locations, while Brazil is well known as a source for granite. Granite from China, while inexpensive, doesn’t present the color intensity of many other sources.

The Quarried Blocks Of Stone Are Transported To A Local Factory For Gang Sawing

Blocks of stone are often in 5-ft. wide x 9-ft. long x 5-ft. high blocks. That size block weighs more than 40,000 lbs., or 20 tons. You really don’t want to meet that truck coming down a narrow winding mountain road.

Gang Saws Have About 50 Blades For Cutting The Desired Thickness Slabs

When blocks of stone arrive at the factory, they are placed under a gang saw consisting of multiple blades that cut the block into several stone slabs. A lightweight honeycomb reinforced panel manufacturer usually prefers slabs that are cut to about 1-inch thickness.

Epoxy Glass Cloth Is Placed On Both Sides Of Expanded Aluminium Honeycomb

The honeycomb-reinforced substrate is fabricated from very thin sheets of aircraft quality aluminum which, when expanded to its cellular form, weighs only a few ounces per square feet. Here, a layer of epoxy pre-impregnated glass cloth is placed on both the top and bottom of the aluminum honeycomb.

Platen Press Bonds Epoxy Glass Cloth to Expanded Aluminum

The composite of aluminum and reinforcing glass is then placed into a platen press, operating at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. The epoxy within the pre-impregnated glass melts while under extreme high pressure and it bonds the glass to the edges of the aluminum cells.

A honeycomb reinforced stone panel manufacturer, using aircraft quality aluminum honeycomb components, produces stone panels in a similar fashion as the building of certain aircraft assemblies. And while this quality honeycomb is costly, the resulting bond strength is such that it would require more than 60,000 lbs. per sq. ft. to separate the glass from the aluminum honeycomb substrate. As a result of its strength to light weight characteristic, the time to install honeycomb reinforced stone panels is significantly reduced as compared to traditional solid stone slab stone and there’s no need for expensive lifting equipment or specialized labor.

Stone Slab Milling and Gauging Area

Slabs of stone arrive at the factory, larger than necessary for panel production. The slabs are trimmed to the desired nominal size, milled flat, washed, and dried.

Saturation Process

Epoxy Saturated Glass Cloth Between H/C & Stone

A sheet of honeycomb, up to 5-ft. wide and 10-ft. long, is placed on a bonding table. Then heavy glass cloth that has been saturated in high-strength epoxy is laid over the honeycomb sheet and rolled out for assurance of complete contact. From there, a slab of stone is set over the fresh epoxy and cloth, followed by another layer of epoxy saturated glass which is again covered with a top layer of honeycomb. In other words, there is a sandwich created with reinforcing on both the top and bottom of the stone slab, which is then moved to the press for assurance of complete bonding.

Cutting Process

Radial Diamond Saw Cuts Through Center Of Stone Slab With 6-1/2 Ft. Diameter Blade

After the epoxy is cured, the sandwich is moved to a saw room where it is split into two (2) pieces using large diamond tip radial saws or diamond studded wire saws.

The Largest Reinforced Stone Production Facility in The World

Ten Radial Saws Plus Diamond Cable Saw

Some lightweight honeycomb reinforced stone manufacturers bond a slab of stone to the reinforcing, then mill the stone thickness down to obtain a lightweight panel. Some have one saw for splitting the sandwich. The largest factory in the world has ten (10) saws simultaneously cutting through the center of the stone thickness.

Polishing Process

16 Head Rotating Polisher Uses Diamond Bricks For Honed Or Polishing Stone. After cutting is complete, the panel is taken to one of several finishing machines where it is honed, polished or bush hammer finished. This picture shows how a honed or polished finish is accomplished on a panel, using rotating diamond-studded heads (or bricks as they are called) to grind away the rough sawn surface. The first few passes remove saw marks and smooth the surface, while additional passes give the stone a shiny reflective finish. One manufacturer also offers sandblasted, bush hammered, or flame finished stone.

Shop Drawings and Fabrication Tickets

Shop Drawings Are Submitted And Approved, Then Fabrication Tickets Are Prepared Prior To Cutting

A full-service lightweight stone manufacturer will prepare shop drawings immediately following the placement of an order allowing the designer, architect, and contractor to review exactly what is to be provided, and how it’s to be installed. Upon final approval, the manufacturer’s engineering staff then prepares detailed production tickets to be utilized during the manufacturing process.

Cutting Finish Panels into Desired Part Sizes

The finished panels are then cut into final part sizes as determined by the shop drawings.

Bonding Finished Corners

Jig Tables Used To Build Bonded Finish Corners

The manufacturer may or may not have the capability to include the fabrication of finished returns to render an end product appearance as that of solid stone wherein the outside corner returns are miter cut and then bonded to the main panel using pigmented epoxy. Be sure to inquire as to the manufacturers capability to fabricate finished returns and cornices.

Anchoring to Each Panel

Interlocking Channels Are Anchored To Each Panel

Connection materials are anchored to the backside of every panel at the factory, unless the panels will be adhesive attached which is sometimes done on interior walls.

Shipped the Finished Product

Finished Material Is Shipped In Pallet Crates (~2000 Lbs)

Each completed panel is marked and numbered for position location on the building based on shop drawings, and then loaded into pallet crates. There is a layer of polystyrene insulation board and plywood placed around the entire perimeter of the product to protect the panels. The incidence of shipping damage is virtually zero if panels are properly crated and protected in this fashion.

Understanding Interlocking Channels & Installation

Interlocking Channels Are Attached

Interlocking Channels Attached Over Water/Air Barrier And Or Over Exterior Sheathing Interlocking channels are one of the most popular attachment devices. Long lengths of aluminum-extruded channels are supplied for the installer to anchor over steel stud framing, furring or masonry backup. Exterior grade sheathing and/or an air/water barrier are quite often specified to go over steel framing for assurance that moisture will not reach the framing cavity. Lightweight honeycomb reinforced stone panels, if properly manufactured, are impervious to water penetration, but an added barrier is often desired as additional assurance of water tightness in the event of a sealant caulk joint failure at some time in the future.

Interlocking Channels Are Factory-Anchored

Interlocking Channels Are Factory-Anchored To The Backside Of Every Panel. The Regular Size Is Shown.

Interlocking channels (ILC’s) are most often attached using self-drilling, self-tapping TEK screws driven directly into the steel stud framing, or more often, screw attached through the exterior grade gypsum sheathing into the framing behind. The ILC’s can also be anchored directly to masonry with TAPCON screws.

There are two (2) sizes of ILC’s, the larger of which provides a 2 ¼” dimension from the face of the attachment extrusion to the face of stone as shown on the following slide.

Interlocking Channels are Factory-Anchored

Screw Attach Interlocking Channels

Screw Attach Interlocking Channels Direct Or Through Exterior Grade Sheathing

A failing curtain wall was removed from this building and galvanized steel stud framing was installed over the masonry backup. Interlocking channels were then attached to the framing using neoprene washer-head TEK screws. The extruded aluminum interlocking channels had an anodized coating and were also painted to prevent electrolytic action between the aluminum and galvanized framing.

Case Studies Product Capabilities & Installation Methodologies

TIAX Headquarters, Reclad In 1994 15 Acorn Park, Cambridge, MA

Here is a picture of the building after exterior recladding with three different types of granite.

The building is currently TIAX Headquarters building located in Cambridge, MA.

Narrow Interlocking Channels Anchored Through Exterior Grade Gypsum Sheathing

This detail shows the narrow version of an interlocking channel being attached through sheathing to framing which provides a dimension of 1 ¾” from the face of the attachment to the face of the stone. Joints between panels are sealed with backer rod and silicone or a polyurethane sealant.

White Plains Metro Center White Plains, NY

Large panels quickly installed

with interlocking channel system

The Reckson Metro-Center in White Plaines, NY was

also renovated. A barrier was attached on all exterior

walls after furring had been anchored over the existing

brick and concrete. Then interlocking channels were

attached through the framing behind. The lightweight

stone panel system has interlocking channels which

were factory anchored to the backside of each piece for

installing. All pieces were numbered by location, as

the stone was factory fabricated and cut to exact size.

The large panel shown here at the right was easily

handled and set by only two men.

White Plains Metro Center White Plains, NY

The Reckson Metro Center at Hamilton and Church Streets in White Plaines, NY was re-clad in granite over the original hodge-podge of poured in place concrete and brick, as seen at the bottom left.

White Carrara Marble Panels Installed on Building in Genoa, Italy

4-ft. x 8-ft. piece of stone weighed about 120 lbs.

This 4-ft. x 8-ft. piece of stone weighed about 120 lbs. That’s 80 % less than a traditional solid marble slab, so there’s neither riggers nor derrick men required to mechanically hoist the marble into place. In this case, the stone was quarried about 30 miles from this building in Genoa, Italy, but the slabs were shipped to the U.S. for honeycomb reinforcing and production of the lightweight stone panel product.

Honeycomb Reinforced Granite Clads Mercedes of Nashville

Many luxury auto dealerships across North America utilize lightweight honeycomb reinforced stone panels. This Mercedes dealership in Nashville, TN has a limestone exterior.

Silver Star Cadillac – Thousand Oaks, CA Mocha Crème Limestone

Cadillac, Lexus, Lamborghini, Hummer and Mercedes dealerships throughout the U.S. have incorporated lightweight honeycomb reinforced stone on their exteriors.

A Crew of Three will Typically Set 30 to 60 Pieces of Lightweight Stone in an 8 hour Shift.

This picture says it all about lightweight honeycomb reinforced panels! Here, a large corner piece of stone weighing only 45 lbs. is being set on the exterior of an auto dealership. It would not be possible to have a corner return such as this made from solid slab dimensional limestone. Furthermore, were a solid limestone panel possible, it would have been 3” thick and weighed well over 500 lbs. It would require a crane or hoist to set each piece in place. In the case of lightweight stone panels, a crew of 3 will typically set 30 to 60 pieces in an 8-hr. day. Conversely a solid dimensional stone crew will set only 3 to 6 pieces per day. So, in other words, it takes approximately ten (10) times longer to install a building with solid slab stone as compared to lightweight honeycomb-backed natural stone panels.

425 Broadhollow Rd. Granite Covering Old Brick

The 425 Broadhollow Road Building in Melville, NY had Multicolor Red granite installed over a failing brick façade back in 1994. It was the first honeycomb reinforced stone project in Melville. Today, there are seven buildings in Melville, NY, within a 10-mile radius, clad with this exterior system and several more multi-story buildings scheduled for completion in early 2006 and 2007. All of these buildings also have lightweight honeycomb reinforced stone in place on interior walls, with many incorporating panels on elevator walls as well.

Testing and Proof of Performance

The Specification Should Require Proof Of Performance, Including Flexure Testing Following 100 Cycles Of Acid Freeze-thaw Accelerated Aging. Lightweight honeycomb reinforced natural stone panels were originally developed and initially patented in the 1960’s in Ireland, but the advantages were not truly recognized and commercially produced until 30 years later. It is recommended to require any prospective lightweight reinforced stone panel manufacturer to first provide proof that their product has been fully tested for long-term performance by independent laboratories. It is equally important the testing be required to include performance requirements addressing a proven capability of meeting or exceeding seismic racking shear requirements, air-water infiltration limits, and minimal flexural strength loss following sulfuric acid solution freeze-thaw accelerated aging.

Northern Project / Moscow Russia

Reinforced lightweight granite on

35-story International Business Ctr.

On this project in Moscow, lightweight honeycomb reinforced granite was easily installed by a curtainwall contracting crew, over galvanized steel stud furring. Pallets of granite panels were taken up to the setting location using a material hoist, and then distributed around the building perimeter using a pallet jack. They were then passed through the window openings for installation where two (2) men easily handled the 5-ft. x 5-ft. pieces of granite with incorporated 8” top and bottom returns. Had these panels been produced in solid 3-cm. thick granite, they would have each weighed over 600 lbs.

International Business Center Moscow Russia

The finished installation on the International Center, a building owned by the City of Moscow. Reinforced granite covers the spandrels, column covers, and shear walls on the tallest building in the Russia Federation, where there are relatively warm summers and extremely cold winters producing significant freeze-thaw conditions.

Anchorage Courthouse (Installed 1993) Anchorage, Alaska

Lightweight honeycomb reinforced stone was also installed on this courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska in 1994.

After extensive research, the architect said, “this was the only stone product we found that was light enough and strong enough to meet the severe seismic conditions”.

Lightweight Honeycomb Reinforced Santa Cecilia Granite on the ARSC Building Anchorage, Alaska

Lightweight reinforced stone panels were also installed on the exterior of this 10-story building in Anchorage.

Fairbanks Courthouse / Alaska

One of two building exteriors clad with reinforced granite in Fairbanks Alaska

This courthouse is one of two buildings in Fairbanks having the exterior clad in lightweight reinforced granite. The other building was the Mission Support Facility. Fairbanks has the most severe temperature variation of any city on earth, ranging from –66 F to +99 F.

Roman Classic Travertine on Las Vegas City Hall

Lightweight natural stone panels have been installed on the exterior of buildings in hot climates, including the Justice Center in Indio, CA where the temperature often exceeds 120 F, and here on Las Vegas City Hall where temperatures frequently exceed 110 F in July. We have included these projects as examples of installations in bitter cold to very hot climates to illustrate and emphasize that lightweight aluminum honeycomb-backed panel systems stand-up to even the most extreme climatic conditions on earth.

Lightweight Stone Shapes and Cornices are Economically Fabricated

Heavy, solid dimensional stone can be cut to produce most shapes, but it is profoundly expensive to produce and install. On the other hand, lightweight reinforced stone panels can be fabricated and installed at a fraction of the cost for traditional stone.

Fabricated Shapes for Ann Taylor Flagship Store

The cornice for the Ann Taylor Flagship store was factory assembled on galvanized steel stud framing, in lengths of 5-ft. each. Two carpenters installed 200 lineal ft. of cornice (40 pieces) in two 7 ½-hour days from a scaffold. The alternative for Gensler Architects was traditional solid stone, which would have required heavy equipment for setting and man-weeks of time. Gensler was able to achieve their design intent, at an acceptable price by specifying lightweight honeycomb reinforced stone for this and numerous other buildings from coast to coast.

Ann Taylor Flagship Store / Midtown Manhattan

Retail applications such as Ann Taylor at 60th and Madison in Manhattan, are common. The darker color limestone is flame-finished Rocheret, quarried near Leon, France. Iron oxide in that limestone brings out the reddish color. Only dense dolomitic limestones can be given a flamed or thermal finish.

Architect: Gensler

Completed Assemblies were Shipped to the Jobsite for Economical and Speedy Installing

Production of the Indiana

limestone cornices at the roof, over

entrances and at the drive-thru for

the Bank of Elgin was done using

fixtures to locate the pieces where

they were then anchored to a

galvanized steel stud frame.

Reinforced lightweight panels were

also installed on the tower walls,

column covers and for upper floor

balconies and roof cornices.

Lightweight Cornice Set Using Small Winch

This 5-ft. high x 8-ft. long fabricated cornice being installed on the Silver Star casino weighs only 500 lbs., and can be lifted into place with a small winch.

Williams Sonoma 59th & Lexington Valders Limestone

Williams Sonoma renovated a building on 59th St., just west of Lexington in Manhattan for their new store and they chose lightweight reinforced stone panels for the project.

Pottery Barn 59th & Lexington New York Rocheret Limestone

The Pottery Barn, located next door to Williams Sonoma, utilized Rocheret limestone quarried near Leon, France for their lightweight panel system.

Radius Shape Limestone was Installed on the Exterior of Kimbrough Hall, Washington State University

Did you know that real stone could be curved? Well, lightweight aluminum reinforced stone panels can be! The thin veneer of stone, when fully bonded to re-enforced aluminum honeycomb provides the flexing property that makes it possible. Limestone, for example can be formed to a 20-ft. radius, while granite and marble are usually limited to a 40-ft. radius. In this photo, you see radius shape limestone on the exterior wall at Washington State University.

Lightweight Granite Truss-frame Assemblies Loaded for Transport to Jobsite

Seen here, are lightweight honeycomb reinforced stone panels that were factory assembled and anchored to 30-ft. long by 7-ft. high truss frames.

The Factory Assembled Granite Clad Frames are Rigged for Lifting onto the Building

These granite-clad trusses were loaded onto trailers in a pre-determined sequence for transport to the jobsite, then they were also rigged for lifting into place at the jobsite.

NBBJ Design Specified Lightweight Honeycomb Reinforced Granite for this 14-story Building

NBBJ, one of the largest architectural firms in the world, specified this system for the 14-story Public Employees Retirement System in Columbus, OH.

Project in Melville, NY.

Granite & backup framing weigh less than 7 lbs ./sq. ft.

And weighing less than 7 lbs. per square foot, an average of 12 panels, totaling more than 2,500 sq. ft., were installed every day on this project in Melville, NY.

Completed Installation Expressway Corp Center Melville, NY

Cannon Architects

Reckson Associates, a Real

Estate Investment Trust, has

used lightweight honeycomb

granite panels on eight of their

buildings to date around the NY

Tri-State area. Beyond the

construction cost savings

realized, Reckson also enjoys the

“speed to market” contribution

that lightweight reinforced stone

panels provides as a key part of

their business plan which is to

totally pre-lease a property

before they build the building

and then bring it on line as fast

as possible.

Rotunda US Courthouse & Federal Bldg. Sacramento, CA

The U.S. Courthouse in Sacramento has it’s entire rotunda clad with lightweight limestone and granite. There were more than 10,000 different sized and shaped pieces in the rotunda, which is egg-shaped at the base, tapering to a symmetrical ellipse at the skylight. They also incorporated limestone in the elevators and granite in every lobby. The result was stunning.

Korean Supreme Court Building Seoul, Korea

Pooshon granite was shipped from Korea to the US for production of lightweight honeycomb panels. The finished polished granite panels were then shipped back to Korea for installation on walls and ceiling of the South Korean Supreme Court Building

Embarcadero Center, San Francisco Lobby and Elevator Cab Renovation

The Embarcadero Center in San Francisco consists of four hi-rise buildings. The lobbies at the ground floor, at the main lobby level, and at the mezzanine level were renovated by installing French limestone over the original fractured rib concrete.

The limestone at each elevator entrance was factory fabricated into four pieces for ease of installing. All of the work was done at night, between 9 pm and 5 am, so the building occupants would not be disturbed. The lightweight stone was delivered and stored on a lower level parking floor, and brought up to the work area in one of the elevators. At the end of the shift, any pieces which had not been installed were returned to storage, and the lobby was cleaned for the morning arrival of people who worked in the building. It would have been impossible to accomplish this work with solid traditional stone panels. The walls of 80 elevator cabs were also covered with this limestone.

Lightweight Stone Clad Elevator Cabs

Elevator cabs are often clad or re-clad with a aluminum reinforced honeycombed-backed system, because the lightweight nature of the product reduces machinery requirements,

and the high strength properties of reinforced stone will allow for the racking movement encountered in elevator cabs.

Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Inlaid panels can also be produced for elevators using different types of stone, as was done when cabs at Caesars’ Palace were renovated. The finished panels weighed only 3-½ lbs. per sq. ft., about the same as plastic laminate.

Rosso Laguna Marble

inlaid into White Carrara

Marble

Course Summary

The Design Professional will now be able to:

Define stone panel cladding systems and explain the need for reinforcing.

List the design decisions associated with reinforced stone cladding systems.

Describe the manufacturing process, product capabilities, and installation methodologies of stone panel systems.

Knowledgeably design and specify lightweight reinforced natural stone wall systems.

An AIA Continuing Education Program

Credit for this course is 1 AIA HSW CE Hour

Course Sponsor

100 S. Royal Lane Coppell, Texas 75019

Ph. (469)635-5000 Fax (469)635-5555

E-mail dons@stonepanels.com

Web www.StonePanels.com

OVER 35 YEARS OF

INNOVATION IN NATURAL

STONE CLADDING

From Stone Panels, Inc.®

Course Number

sti04a

Course Title Light Weight

Honeycomb Reinforced Stone Cladding System

© Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. 2005

Light Weight Honeycomb Reinforced Stone Cladding System

Please note: you will need to complete the conclusion

quiz online at Ronblank.com to receive credit