Advanced technology transferred photographs depicting the
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines,
Merchant Marines, and Coast
Guard onto the stone panels.
Each image needed to maintain a realistic,
photo-like appearance.
As such, the selection of black granite
was particularly important to capture details.
Stone industry standard
a key factor in its specification in today’s increasingly sustainability-
conscious building industry.
Formed by nature itself,
natural stone has an enduring lifecycle,
and can often be locally sourced, depending on project location.
The Natural Stone Council (NSC) is a collaboration of natural stone
trade associations and businesses. In collaboration with
NSF International, the council has rcs data developed an
American National
Standard for the sustainable development aspects of dimensional
stone production. Known as NSC 373, Natural
Dimension Stone Standard, it is currently in review, with finalization planned for later this year.
NSC 373 will help project teams and consumers determine
whether a dimensional stone product has been extracted and manufactured in an
environmentally preferable manner.
The standard defines Environmentally
Preferable Manufacturing Practices
(EPMPs) for the quarrying and manufacturing of dimensional stone.
Criteria that consider the social, environmental,
and human health impacts associated with the
dimensional, natural stone product lifecycle will be outlined by the standard.
Industry response
In advance of the NSC standard, some natural
stone quarries and manufacturers have already set internal standards and best practices to help reduce social media engagement: the key to connecting with your audience their environmental footprints. For example, practices can be made more sustainable by:
- recycling industrial water;
- quarrying stone on demand;
- using diamond saws;
- reducing use of explosives to minimize waste; and
- optimizing energy-efficient strategies throughout operations.
Additionally, the Declare Product Database,
developed by, was created to make it easier for
project teams to identify products compliant with the Living calling list Building
Challenge performance standard.
The ‘Red List’ identifies the worst-in-class materials,
chemicals, and elements known to pose serious risks to
human health and
the greater ecosystem. Any project seeking
certification under the Living
Building Challenge must be free of Red List chemicals and materials.