Until the beginning of the 20th century, stone was the preferred building material in France, giving the French an architectural heritage the whole world comes to admire and now the object of intense restoration. Until recently forgotten by architects and engineers for building works, stone is now back in force! Its environmental qualities are increasingly recognized and demonstrated, particularly thanks to Rocalia sponsor the Centre for Natural Building Materials (CTMNC).
The stone is extracted in French quarries in full compliance with environmental regulations. Very little energy is required for its extraction and transformation and it can be recycled almost ad infinitum. Quarrying and workshop by-products are revalorised as chips and agricultural slurries.
Other solutions are currently being investigated. Controlled Origin Labels are currently being introduced to guarantee the regional origin of materials and fight fraud and unfair trading.
The French network of 400 quarries ensures local short circuit sourcing and significantly reduces transport-related impacts. And, of course, stone is a “comfortable” material due to its thermal inertia and does not release any gases to the indoor air. This is why stone has been awarded the “A+ air quality” label.
Sourse : www.salon-rocalia.com – December 2017