Masonry Magazine August 2012 Page. 21
NATURAL.
ETERNAL.
LIMESTONE.
University campus building as it would look without the Cast Stone elements.
University campus housing as it was built, including the Cast Stone.
The high thermal mass properties of cast stone help optimize the energy performance of a building and mitigate temperature swings.
The high Solar Reflective Index (SRI) of cast stone helps reduce heat retention and urban heat island effect. Typically manufactured with white Portland cement, cast stone provides an assumed SRI of 86 for a non-pigmented mix.
Low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions support indoor air quality strategies. As a masonry product, it can be installed using local skilled mason labor.
Cast Stone Institute
AS A NON-PROFIT TRADE ASSOCIATION, the Cast Stone Institute was formed in 1927 for the purpose of improving the quality of cast stone and disseminating information regarding its use. Institute Technical specifications, bulletins, details and related materials are available for free download from www.caststone.org.
The most important valuable resource to specifiers is our Certified Producer Members, who adhere to the high standards for quality and are bound by a strict code of ethics. Members must provide testing of product every 500 cubic feet for compression and absorption, as well as independent laboratory test results every six months to confirm their product meets the Institute standard specification and ASTM C1364. They must also have a current compliant freeze-thaw test.
These tests are mandated by ASTM C1364, and members comply with these strict regulations and provide proof of compliance to the Institute every six months. Since the products that go into the mix design for cast stone come from the earth, there can be variances in sands, aggregates, etc. Testing assures the Producer Member, the specifier and owner that they are, indeed, producing cast stone to specifications. There is no way to assure quality cast stone production without this testing.
Cast Stone Institute certification differs from others in that they certify that not only the processes are in place to make quality product but that the product itself is meeting specifications. All Certified Cast Stone Institute Producer Members provide a 10-year Limited Product Warranty for the cast stone they supply on projects.
Conclusion
THE USE OF ARCHITECTURAL CAST STONE allows an architect to design a masonry building and put his signature on it by creating detailed architectural elements that can be manufactured easily and affordably by a Certified Cast Stone Institute Producer Member.
Historic structures can be restored by using cast stone to replicate the original stone on the building for numerous applications including detailed ornamentation. The mason is the craftsman who puts the pieces of the puzzle together to make a beautiful structure that will enhance the community for decades to come. IMAS
Jan Boyer is the executive director of the Cast Stone Institute and serves on the board of directors for The Masonry Society and the Masonry Alliance for Codes & Standards. Involved in the masonry industry for more than 14 years, she also is affiliated with the Concrete Joint Sustainability Initiative. Contact her at jboyer@caststone.org or 717-272-3744. For more information, visit www.caststone.org.
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READER SERVICE #173
August 2012
MASONRY 19