AStA Presentation
PRESENTATION
ENGINEERED STONE: the product for a sustainable construction by stone ! 1
Worldwide Agglomerated Stones Association not a Federation of Associations but an international Association of manufacturers 2
In the world there are about 180 manufacturers: - 15 in Europe; - 6 in Medium East; - 4 in Far East (excluding China); - 1 in Russia; - 4 in North America; - 15 in India (2 of industrial level, the others at artisan level); - 135 in China (5-6 of industrial level, the others at artisan level). 3
Engineered Stone Production Share by Region, 2014 (47 million square meters) Africa & Middle East 4.3 9% Asia/Pacific 21.5 46% Europe 17.0 36% North America 4.1 9% Central & South America 0.0 0% 4
Engineered Stone Demand by Application, 2014 (44.5 million square meters) Asia/Pacific Africa & Middle East Europe 0.5 1.2 2.3 Central & South America 0.0 0.4 North America 1.2 0.0 2.0 4.0 9.1 17.5 6.1 Construction Furniture 6.4 6.0 8.0 10.0 12.0 14.0 16.0 18.0 20.0 5
the manufacturers associated in A.St.A. World-wide put on the market more than 25 million sqm per year 4
The Association Member Companies cover about 50% of the world market and over 95% of the European market 5
Where are they located ? - 8 in Europe (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Czech Rep.) - 2 in Medium East (Turkey, Israel) - 2 in North America (U.S.) - 1 in Far East (Vietnam) Several Partners (suppliers of machineries, tools, spare parts, raw materials, etc.) have already joined the Association. 8
A.St.A. WORLD-WIDE manufacturer’s vision is focused on “promoting the product in the respect of the environment and the human health”. 9
Which is the main peculiarity of the ENGINEERED STONES ? their “project-ability” 10
It's important to be able TO DESIGN a product at desk 7
It is of fundamental importance for engineers to study in advance the behavior of the materials, because their properties determine the performance in their applications... 9
...and for architects, that are often dissatisfied with the choice of traditional materials and are always looking for innovative solutions. 10
QUESTION n.1 Why many innovations have been possible in a short period of time in many sectors, but not in constructions ? 11
The construction sector, especially for floorings and wall finishes, has been always quite conservative: it's often difficult to introduce technical and aesthetic alternatives. 14
QUESTION n.2 Why to choose an ENGINEERED STONE for a flooring or a kitchen top when traditional materials are always available? 16 16
Wood, gypsum and glass cannot completely satisfy technical requirements. Cement, concrete, metals and plastics have definite aesthetic limits. Natural stones have limits connected with their origin. Ceramics materials have limits due to the market demand for products with surfaces of large dimensions. 16
THE ADVANTAGES OF ENGINEERED STONES - The range of colours is practically infinite. - The product is reproducible, thanks to an industrial production which has overcome the limit of the local origin of the raw materials. - The technical characteristics are superior. 17
QUESTION n.3 Where did the idea of the ENGINEERED STONES come from ? 18
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The processes of moulding and cementing, which have taken place over an extremely long period of time through the geological ages, have created the NATURAL AGGLOMERATES 20
Conglomerates and Breccias for example, are natural agglomerates made up of fragments of rocks that have cemented together and hardened over time. 21
In the ENGINEERED STONES the process of forming and cementing takes place in few minutes during the production cycle, thanks to modern moulding technologies (the compression and simultaneous vibration under vacuum) and the binding properties of organic polymers. 22
The formula that identifies an ENGINEERED STONE is based on a simple concept. 27
When we consider a certain volume, which may be the shape of a slab or the mould for a block, the granular materials have a certain space to fill: 28
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The remaining space is filled up by powders (fillers) and by organic binders (generally unsaturated polyester resin). 27
From a technical point of view the ENGINEERED STONES are for all intents and purposes COMPOSITE MATERIALS made up of: - granular material: which forms the structure - powder: which fills the interstitial spaces - binding agents: which cements the product - additives and coloring agents: which confer the desired technical and aesthetic traits. 30
ENGINEERED STONES can be manufactured in: -slabs up to almost 5 sqm of surface area -blocks of more than 3 m3 in volume They are put on the market as slabs, tiles and cut to size products. 31
In the past the most important use for slabs and tiles was in flooring and wall finishing, in public and residential buildings. 31
Today the demand for these products is constantly increasing, even for different applications, such as in furnishings for kitchen and bathroom countertops. 32
ADVANTAGES over natural stone · unlimited range of colors · uniformity of the products supplied over the time · homogeneous physical, mechanical and aesthetic characteristics. 35
ADVANTAGES with respect to ceramics · possibility to have large sizes · less fragile product ·aesthetic value conferred by the presence of marble, granite or quartz granular material. 36
Now we will examine if the ENGINEERED STONES are really a “GREEN PRODUCT” 34
It is a well-known fact that construction is one of the most polluting industries. 37
1 – More raw materials in weight are consumed in the construction industry than in any other industrial sector. 38
2 – The construction industry produces 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions for the consumption of energy and the habitation of the building during its useful life. 39
The production of all construction materials involves a negative environmental impact. 40
Wood - problems related to deforestation - use of many chemical products, which are very volatile, for making it waterproof. 41
Cement - emission of C02 in the atmosphere (approximately 1 ton of CO2 every ton of cement) - high energy consumption (approximately 20 billion MJ/year for an average plant). 42
Natural Stone - problem of placement of quarry wastes (about 50% of the gross amount extracted) - disfiguring of the landscape due to the exploitation of open quarries. 43
Ceramic Tiles - high energy consumption - problem of placement of exuberant warehouse stock. 44
The sector of the ENGINEERED STONES is able to make extensive use of quarry marble and granite wastes, thereby contributing to solving the problem of the environmental impact of the natural stone transformation process. 45
For example, a medium size company that produces ENGINEERED STONES using marble grits can recycle about 3% of the quarry discards produced in Italy annually, transforming them from cumbersome wastes into products of high added value. 46
The advantages in terms of the environmental compatibility of these products are not limited to this. 47
In fact, at the ENGINEERED STONES must also be associated the following advantages: 48
1 – High mechanical resistance, permitting the use of thin products of large sizes, thus facilitating movement and installation with reduction of the connected energy costs. 49
2 – Durability of the material due to the absence of micro and macro defects, which permits minimisation of the costs and interventions for possible damage, once the product is installed. 50
3 – Low porosity of the material, which means that cleaning and ordinary maintenance are reduced to a minimum. 51
4 – Maximum possibilities in the choice of colours for the realisation of works in perfect harmony with the environment. 52
LET US HAVE A LOOK AT A CONCRETE EXAMPLE 53
TERMINAL 5 OF THE HEATHROW AIRPORT IN LONDON 54
BAA British Airport Association has made up EAAG Environmental Assessment and Advisory Group to prepare 55
CODE OF PRACTICE - construction material - energy aspects - quality of the environments - problem of waste - recovery of water - impact of transportation - and so on. 56
130,000 m2 of flooring: the largest installation in a single project ever realised in ENGLAND 57
best material in terms of ecological compatibility ENGINEERED STONES (RIBA Journal of March 2008) 58
- reuse of extracted materials, - reduced energy costs for installation, - reduction of costs for future intervention for restoration, - reduction of cleaning and ordinary maintenance costs to a minimum. 59
WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR US ? 58
World Engineered Stone Demand in the Next Two Years (milion square meters) North America 13.5 Central & South America 0.6 Europe 13.5 Africa & Middle East 2.3 Asia/Pacific 45.5 -------------------------------------------------------------- Total 75.5 Source: Freedonia Custom Research, Inc. A.St.A. Worldwide 59
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION 60
