In operation for nearly 20 years, RMG Stone Products, Inc. of Castleton, VT, recently expanded the scope of its business with the addition of several slate quarries. The company, which until last year bought its material from local distributors, realized that there was a market for slate countertops as well as landscape stone and roofing tile.
Before the U.S. Air Force Memorial was dedicated in Alexandria, VA, in October of 2006, the Air Force was the only branch of service without any Memorial in the Washington, DC, area. Now that it has been completed, the Memorial can be appreciated through the region, due to its 270-foot-high steel spires that appear to be soaring in to the air. And while the spires are the most noticeable aspect of the project from a distance, the Memorial is also a showcase of three-dimensional stonework - with Jet Mist and Absolute Black granite being used for a variety of applications.
To establish a large-scale French Chateau theme for a 9,000-square-foot residence in Bethesda, MD, the local firm of Mangan Group Architects selected fieldstone for the exterior. And to complement the design of the home, slate paving was installed throughout an outdoor patio area. Luck Stone Corp. of Richmond, VA, supplied both materials for the project.
Considered to be part of the “North Dallas” region of Texas, the City of Frisco is the second-fastest growing urban center in the nation - second only to Las Vegas. To accommodate this rapid growth, the city needed new municipal facilities. The focal point of this updated city center is the new Frisco City Hall and Library, which was designed by Holzman Moss Architecture and makes extensive use of Texas granite and limestone.
Internationally renowned for its high-end shopping, Grafton Street in Dublin, Ireland, has naturally gone through many changes over the years. And given the significance of the street and its value to the city, there has been a strong movement in recent times to ensure that the retailers who occupy the spaces contribute to the upscale feel of the neighborhood. With this in mind, the new Boodle & Dunthorne (Boodles) store at the corner of Dublin’s Grafton Street and Harry Street was particularly welcomed by residents and architecture critics alike. Bolstered by an interior design that includes Azul Macaubas slabs on the walls, the store maintains the street’s storied reputation as a premier international shopping district.
Located beyond the vineyards of Verona, Italy, the Margraf Group of Chiampo, Vicenza, has steadily invested in its stone production. Not only has the company added in a high-tech line for resin-treated slab production within the past few years, but it has also invested in a broad range of equipment for state-of-the-art production of resin-treated marble tiles.
Like other quarried stones, porphyry has its own unique characteristics which makes it distinctive. Historical use of the material has been noted as far back as approximately 3,000 years, when Egyptians and Romans considered it to be good luck. At that time, the word “porfirogenito” - meaning “born in a room cladded with porphyry” - was created. The same good luck that was hoped for at birth was also wished for Emperors at their death, and so they were buried in tombs made of porphyry. Nowadays, porphyry is being used for exterior and some interior applications, and companies such as Odorizzi Porfidi of Albiano, Italy, are quarrying and processing the material to markets around the world, including the U.S.
In this Online Stone Fabricators Forum - conducted at www.stoneadvice.com - stoneworking professionals from around the country discuss their preferences and use of hand tools within the shop and in the field.
CarraraMarmotec is scheduled to take place from May 30 to June 2, 2007, in Carrara, Italy. This past year, CarraraFiere, the show’s organizer, launched a worldwide promotional campaign to attract more visitors and exhibitors to the upcoming exhibition. And judging by this year’s number of registrations, it is expected that CarraraMarmotec 2007 will improve upon the results of the 2006 edition, according to the show’s organizer.
Take It For Granite Too, located in Las Vegas, NV, a branch off of the California-based original company called Take It For Granite, fabricates and installs a wide variety of natural stone material in both the residential and commercial sector. And by utilizing a variety of machinery from Northwood of Louisville, KY, the company has significantly increased its revenue over the past few years.
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