STONE

STONE

**What are stones?**

Stone is a material that comes from the earth, stone is a very hard and resistant material and it has a irregular shape. **How many kinds of stone do you know?**

There are many kinds of stone, wich can be found in the nature with irregular shapes and in different colors, but ussualy people tend to cut these pieces to give it a regular shape. **What characteristics do stones have?** Stone is very resistant to contraction and is a heavy material. Stones are also durable and withstand climate change s. **Why are stones used in construction?** Stones are used in construction since prehistoric times as easily found in nature without requiring any process and today still gives a flawless finish.

Stone as a construction material is one of the oldest materials. Nowadays, it is still used in some constructions because it has many advantages. Some of those advantages are: durability, adaptability to sculptural treatment **and** **they also are very resistant to contraction**. But like everything, it has its disadvantages like it is difficult to quarry, transport and cut; also it is weak in tension and in some cases very expensive.

When people work with stone, they have to take into account that there are many kinds of stone depending on what kind of work or buildings they are constructing. Some of those types of stonework are: rubble and ashlar mashonry. **Rubbles are the cheapest ones and they are broken stones bounded in mortar, and Ashlar Mashonry are perfectly cut stones usually in rectangular shape. These last ones were used in temples supported by many columns, for example the Poseidon Greek Temple.**


 * At pres **** ent many construction materials are being used in architecture because they are cheaper, stronger or more efficient, however stone is still used so it must have good qualities and efficiency.

STONE Podcast ** media type="custom" key="5403875"