Life of Beauty

John Mattke
President, Cold Spring Granite Inc.

For one who has spent his career working in the natural stone industry, there is something very special about locating a deposit of stone, extracting it from the earth, cutting it, shaping it, polishing it, and turning it into something beautiful. It reminds us of when we were children and we found a beautiful, naturally polished agate to add to our collection. We treated those stones like diamonds, each one precious and unique. Who would have thought back then that we would spend our lives celebrating that beauty. We have since learned to share a deep appreciation for what it takes to form that rock in the first place, and will go to great lengths to turn it into something of value for the rest of the world.

Building Stone Magazine is a celebration of stone, and offers us an opportunity to share information about extraordinary people, places and events that continue to influence our industry. In that way, this issue is no different. However, in this issue we attempt to educate our readers about the variety of stone types and the characteristics of each that make them different and unique. We show examples of stone types from around the world, share a little history about where they come from, and how they are formed. We discuss the latest in stone quarrying and fabrication technologies that help make stone more readily available and less expensive than some of the techniques of old would allow. And, we celebrate the life and accomplishments of one of the most influential architects the world has ever known: Andrea Palladio.

We also explore an exploding trend in the building industry that I believe will have a significant impact on all aspects of the natural stone industry as well. I am referring to the increasing emphasis being placed on green building. Green building includes a wide variety of factors, materials and otherwise, that determine whether or not a building project should be considered green. From a material selection standpoint, the common perception is that natural stone is green — after all, it is natural stone! However, there are a lot of other factors that come into play when considering whether or not a material selection is green: energy consumption, longevity, recycled content, natural resource consumption, life-cycle assessment — all are areas to be considered when making green building product selections.

I believe natural stone is not only beautiful and durable, it is versatile, it is natural, and it is green. Through education, awareness and a continuous effort to improve the selection, fabrication and application of natural stone, I have no doubt the future of the natural stone industry in North America will be full of promise.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Building Stone Magazine and share with us in celebrating the beauty of natural stone.

www.buildingstonemagazine.com

Building Stone Magazine
©2007 by Building Stone Institute
www.buildingstoneinstitute.org
All rights reserved

Web Site by:
Lionheart Publishing, Inc.
506 Roswell Street, Suite 220, Marietta, GA 30060
Phone: 770-431-0867 | Fax: 770-432-6969
lpi@lionhrtpub.com
www.lionhrtpub.com