More than 70% of the world’s architecture is built using stone. The craft of stonemasonry is hard to miss. As we commute to and from work or school pick-up lines, we can easily miss out on the beauty of this stonework that is all around us. A foundation for many cities, stonemasonry is something to appreciate. Below are some facts about stonemasonry that you may not have known, but will hopefully give you a new appreciation of the art.

It’s a Tale As Old As Time

From the building of the Pyramids of Giza to the elaborate stone streets and structures of ancient Jerusalem, stonemasonry has been a ‘cornerstone’ and the foundation for most civilizations around the world. In fact, as far back as 8,000 years ago, Native Americans were using stonework for weapons, pottery, and cooking slabs. A commodity even 6,000 years ago, humans would sunbake clay bricks and construct the earliest monuments and structures in history. The art became perfected over the course of thousands of years, but even these early stonemasons were so skilled that many of their builds are still identifiable today. 

What’s older still are the quarries from which some stones are taken. For example, the ancient city of Aswan, Egypt, is estimated to be about 50,000 years old and is the location of the same quarry from which over 2 million blocks of stone were pulled to craft the Pyramids of Giza.

It Can Withstand Fire 

Excavation has been ongoing in many parts of the Middle East, South America, and Europe as ancient civilizations continue to be uncovered. A common theme is that many of the old cities and structures being excavated are the work of stonemasons. While much history has been lost to the elements of nature, stonemasonry has withstood the elements. Stone, unlike many alternative building materials, does not melt, twist or warp in high heat or fire.

As a result, scientists have uncovered massive monuments, churches, houses, and buildings that extremely skilled stonemasons constructed. Some of the most wonderous have been found in places like Jerusalem, Egypt, and Pompeii. Even covered in the desert sand and volcanic dust, the beauty remains.

It Has Contributed to the Advancement of Societies

Cities built with stone, foundations laid by skilled stonemasons, and the perfected art of stonemasonry are some of the reasons why societies advanced as much as they did. History shows us that societies with bigger stone cities, monuments, churches, or structures were often the home of many patriarchs and royalty. Today, with its use in cathedrals and universities, stonemasonry is also a sign of an educated and thriving society.

Our team at Petrillo Stone has been a part of the history of stonemasonry since 1907. Our roots in this field are deep and our passion for the art is immeasurable. Not only do we firmly believe that stonemasonry will continue to stand the test of time, but we have seen firsthand the beauty created when incorporating stonemasonry into any structure. We would be honored if you took a look at our latest stonework projects. Also, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like to add stonework to your business or home.

From time to time we like to feature unique stories about stone and masonry. Our ancestors had to be creative when it came to recording information. The most common way was carving important information into stone and stone walls.

Recently, a slab of stone with engraved intricate lines and motifs dating as far back to the Bronze Age has been revealed to be Europe’s oldest map, researchers say.

As investigated by CNN, researchers utilized high-resolution 3D surveys and photogrammetry to examine the Saint-Belec Slab – an engraved and partly broken piece of stone that was discovered in 1900 but forgotten about for almost a full century. It was revealed to be the oldest cartographic representation of a known territory in Europe.

The Oldest Map of Western Brittany Recorded

The records of this map show that the slab was moved into a private museum, the National Museum of Archaeology, in the castle of Saint-German-en-Laye, in 1900. In 2014, it was rediscovered in one of the museum’s cellars.

After studying this slab, researchers recognized that its surface was deliberately 3D-shaped to represent a valley with lines in the stone thought to depict a river network. The team of researchers noticed similarities between the engravings and landscape of Western Brittany. There are still many unknowns to this story, including why the slab was broken in the first place.

This study was published in the French Journal Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française.

It is exciting and interesting to learn the different functions of stone, and how it has changed throughout centuries.

Traditional masonry is rare. Chances are that when you see a stone or brick building, there is a steel frame underneath that’s doing most of the heavy lifting. In the days before steel, all those heavy materials were supported by thick, load-bearing walls.

When it was built in 1901, Philadelphia City Hall was the tallest skyscraper in the world, the first non-religious building to hold the title. At 548 feet high, it remains the world’s tallest load-bearing building.

The load-bearing walls of this architectural wonder are 22 feet thick in some places, allowing them to support the heavy masonry work above. Construction took 30 years to complete and cost a total of 24 million dollars. After its construction, no architect had the desire to attempt such an ambitious project.

Philadelphia’s City Hall remains one of the most impressive buildings we’ve seen.

The Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt were built about 4,500 years ago, but they’re still standing tall and strong.

Like many older buildings, the pyramids were built to last as long as possible, but today, that isn’t always our biggest priority. However, it should be! In addition to saving time and money, building structures with longevity in mind is easier on the environment.

In particular, masonry is an environmentally-friendly method for building. Building with brick and stone is one of the oldest building techniques there is, yet the durability makes it excellent for reducing environmental impact.

A Long-Lasting Material

Masonry’s durability results in a low annual environmental impact that improves over time. To begin with, shipping the materials typically requires less fuel. Since the materials are heavy, there are manufacturing plants near most major cities.

When you think about sustainability, you have to think long-term, which means considering what happens to the building when it’s no longer in use. Bricks can be crushed into a powder that can be repurposed into useful materials. This procedure involves no toxins, no waste, and no landfill.

Seal Moisture Out of Walls

Masonry makes a great building material because it seals moisture out while allowing it to escape. Many modern walls trap moisture inside the wall, which can lead to mold and mildew. In fact, trapped moisture is believed to be one of the causes of “sick building syndrome,” a phenomenon in which people get ill more often when confined together inside a building.

The idea that newer is always better is a common misconception. Oftentimes, techniques that have been around for hundreds or thousands of years are also the best. Click here to read more about this topic on the Guardian.

At Petrillo Stone, we admire masonry for being an ancient art that evolves with new technology. That’s why we’re so intrigued by an architecture team at Iowa State University which recently created a 3D-printed ceramic system that efficiently cools buildings. For their efforts, the team won an award in masonry design and construction.

The project is called “Mashrabiya 2.0,” and is a facade that works its way into a building’s mechanical system. Once installed, it cools the space through evaporative cooling methods. It also works by controlling airflow and light. The secret is in the facade’s micro pores, small holes in the screen wall that ventilate a space as air passes through the pores.

The four faculty members, Shelby Doyle, assistant professor and Daniel J. Huberty Faculty Fellow in Architecture; Leslie Forehand, lecturer; Nicholas Senske, assistant professor; and Erin Hunt, computation and construction lab associate entered a contest called the Joan B. Calambokidis Innovation in Masonry Competition and won in the category of young architects and engineers.

The team was awarded a $10,000 prize after their project was selected by a jury of architects and leaders in masonry.

We would like to congratulate this team for their success! Click here to read the full story.