Architectural Style: Venetian Gothic Location: Venice, Italy Construction started: 1428Construction stopped: 1430Material: Brick, Marble Standing on the northern bank of Venice’s Grand Canal is The Palazzo Santa Sofia or the Ca D’Oro (House of Gold), whose intricately carved marble façade only gives a glimpse of its original glory. This house is one of the most notable examples of late Venetian Gothic architecture, […]
19
Apr
Apr
We all know Verona has a lot more to offer than “just” natural stone. The famous city on the Adiger river is one of the main cultural centres in the north/northeast of Italy. We will take a quick glimpse at 2 spectacular buildings: The Scaligero (also: Castelvecchio) Bridge, and the Arco dei Gavi. The bridge […]
05
Apr
Apr
Location: Oslo, Norway Architects: Snøhetta Typology: Opera House Area: 38,500 m2 Year: 2007 The Oslo Opera House (Operahuset in Norwegian) is renowned worldwide as the building shaped like it is emerging from within the water. Located at the head of the Oslofjord, on the tip of the Bjørvika peninsula, it was inaugurated in 2008 after seven […]
21
Mar
Mar
Jeder kennt sie, die Akropolis in Athen – jene monumentale Burg, die auf einem der Hügel Athens gelegen, seit Jahrtausenden die darunter liegende Stadt überschaut. Der Großteil der Gebäude wurde aus Holz und – wenig überraschend – Stein gebaut. Was den Stein angeht, kam vielerorts Kalkstein und Marmor zum Einsatz, wie die nachfolgenden Beispiele zeigen […]
07
Mar
Mar
If you have ever been to Volterra, this charming town on a hill in Tuscany, with its narrow and winding streets, then you certainly know the countless shops offering sculptures, vases, and many other decorative items made from alabaster. The top quality alabaster is almost snow white with delicate veins and actually originates from Castellina […]
22
Feb
Feb
Grape Agate is a relatively new find of stone from Indonesia. These grape agates are actually aggregates of quartz coming together in a spherical (botryoidal) shape. The grapes typically range from 2mm to 8mm in diameter, and the prevalent colour is purple, although they can also feature white, grey, green, and blue colours. Interestingly, the […]
08
Feb
Feb
White Makrana marble is probably India’s most famous marble, being the marble used to build one of the best known Unesco World Heritage Sites: The Taj Mahal. White Makrana is being quarried at the western edge of the Aravalli mountains, close to the town of Makrana in the province Rajasthan. This area contributes more marble […]
24
Jan
Jan
Afyon ist ein wunderschöner Marmor aus der Türkei. Aus technischer Sicht ist er durchaus ein typischer Marmor hinsichtlich Dichte, Porosität, etc. Die Variationen sind vielfältig, so gibt es Afyon White mit dezenten Venierungen ebenso wie beispielsweise Afyon Violet, der eine wesentlich farbenfrohere Variante des Afyon ist. Sie zeichnet sich durch außergewöhnliche Muster aus, die teilweise […]
11
Jan
Jan
Ganz grundsätzlich kann man bei verschiedenen Marmorarten zwischen “commercial” (Industrie-) und “premium” Marmor unterscheiden. Ersterer stellt vor allem Funktionalität in den Vordergrund, wobei die Ästhetik natürlich nicht zu kurz kommen darf. Bei Premium Marmor hingegen konzentrieren wir uns in erster Linie auf die Ästhetik, die prinzipiell durch die Farbgebung, Farbsättigung und Intensität sowie Venierung definiert […]
14
Dec
Dec
Marble has been used in homes for centuries. It has made a comeback in recent years in modern architecture because of the addition of luxury and elegance to the home that marble brings. When thinking of luxurious marble, the most common kind of marble that comes to mind is either the Calacatta marble or white […]