Contemporary stone building: Strategies for sustainable architecture in load bearing stone applied in a Swedish context
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Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Model builders
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Abstract
This thesis deals with architectural design that utilizes massive natural stone as a load bearing
material with high architectural presence. The purpose is to put new eyes on an ancient
material in the light of modern technology at a time of climate emergency.
Stone has many beneficial properties for a building material. In addition to unparallelled
longevity and high compression strength it is also proof to fire, water and rot. But most
importantly, stone is a natural material that can have substantial benefits to the planet as a
sustainable alternative to steel and reinforced concrete. Despite all this, few people know
that building in stone is even an alternative. This thesis wants to change that by promoting
stone as a structural material with timeless architectural beauty.
A material investigation is conducted through literature studies, site visits and practical
experiments. References are gathered from pioneering stone buildings and architectural
research prototypes that push the boundaries of construction principles and the latest digital
production technology. As no contemporary stone buildings yet exist in the nordic countries
this thesis positions itself in that knowledge gap. A building design is made, following an
existing project brief, in order to find out how stone can be applied as a critical architectural
element in the design of a public bath in a Swedish context. The result goes into detail and
presents various solutions, elements, constructive principles and aesthetic opportunities that
displays how natural stone can be used as a major structural and aesthetic component in
contemporary architecture.
Description
Keywords
Natural stone, stereotomy, dimension stone