Building constructions of stone cladded roofs in contemporary architecture

Abstract

Stone roof coverings have existed for hundreds of years now, but their application in contemporary representative architecture is quite different than it was in former times, and accordingly the underlying constructional details are much more complicated. The main role of the roof in today's architecture is to emphasize the abstract building volume and its homogeneity. The design (visual appearance) has priority over constructional considerations, while at the same time requirements for thermal insulation and the watertight buildup of the building envelope are rising. This is a big challenge for the design of the constructional details, since traditional methods do not apply anymore: almost all of the water gets under this exterior cladding where a completely waterproof underlayer is needed. Therefore a new type of constructions is borne. In this article I try to present innovative constructional alternatives for stone cladded roofs and try to define guidelines for their planning. These alternatives were created and refined based on analysis of historical and contemporary examples, the examination of the specific conditions and requirements that affect cladded roofs, their expected performance over their life-span, the difficulties that arise under construction and my work experience. I created seven groups, according to the method for fixing the individual stone elements, since this is the detail that most affects the buildup of the underlying structure. A new approach is needed with these unconventional constructions, with a much more detailed inventory of every little feature of the building in question. But since these features vary violently with the architectural conception the exact constructional solutions are usually unique as well.