Why you Should Use Outdoor Stone Desert Climates in Construction

Designing for the sunny desert is a daunting task for even the most skilled professionals. The biggest challenge when building on a sunny desert is not the sandy foundation, but it also involves finding a way to stay cool on desert sunny temperatures. Stone is mainly used to overcome these building and design challenges. Many architects use outdoor stone for desert climates and natural stone for desert summer. When used efficiently these materials can make a good foundation while also ensuring that the house remains cool in the sunny desert climate. Coral stone is a kind of natural stone that can be used in the desert. Any builder who uses coral stone will find that coral stone is well suited to fit the building requirements of a home in a desert climate.

1.     Low Heat Retention

  In a desert climate, heat retention is the single most important quality of a material that will determine its suitability for a desert home. In a place that experiences high temperatures all throughout the year, you need a material that has the lowest heat retention possible. Coral stone fulfils this very requirement almost perfectly. It is very porous such that it can absorb moisture from the environment. This moisture will then evaporate when the temperature rises to really high levels creating a cooling effect.

Coral stone is also a better heat repellent than most building materials available. Stone vary in color some in very bright color that helps in repelling heat.

2.                Non-slip stone

Due to the hot climate, many homes in the desert climate have a pool built inside. When building a swimming pool, it is important that you use materials that make it hard for one to slip. These are what are called non-slip material. They are used for pool floors and the outdoors mainly to avoid any accidents arising from slipping when the ground is wet.

Coral stone is a perfect candidate for pool building because it is one of the best non-slip materials. It has a bit of a rough exterior that offer the friction required to keep one standing even when that floor is watery. Coral stone is also bright thus a very good material to use for designers when trying to get the colors right.

3.                Durability

One of the less popular and unexpected qualities of coral stone is the durability. Coral stone is made from a mixture of dead sea organic material and minerals. One does not expect that such material can be very durable. The evidence, however, will surprise you. Perhaps the greatest evidence of this quality is the Florida Coral Castle. This castle is still a mystery as it was supposedly built by a single man, Latvian American Edward Leedskalnin. It was built in 1920 and is simply a construction marvel in its right. The building still stands today and is a testament to the durability of coral stone as a building material. There are much older buildings in Latin American built by the Spanish when they conquered the area. The buildings which are mainly huge cathedrals still stand today.

The case for coral stone as environmentally friend

Since 1988 environmentalists, governments, and other interested parties have been growing weary of the increasing rate of destruction of coral reefs. All around the world, coral reefs are dying. As of 2008, it is estimated that about 19% of the of the world’s coral reefs had already been lost. By 2030, up to 80% of the world’s coral reefs will be at risk solely due to human related activities. To many, the biggest concern is human related activities that are a direct threat to coral reefs. Mining activities can damage coral reefs if not done carefully.

Coral mining is becoming a threat to coral reefs due to the huge demand for coral that is used for decorating buildings. In Islands such as Maldives coral is the only building material available. Also, coral is 50% cheaper than conventional building material such as cement and bricks. Its availability, price, and beauty make coral a perfect building material, as such there has been increasing demand for coral all over the world. Many industries and individuals are now actively involved in the mining of coral.

It is, however, important to note that coral stone is different from coral. Coral mining is the process of actively removing live coral directly from the sea. The process is very destructive to the sea and is sometimes carried out by dangerous machines such as dredgers that expedite the pilferage of coral reefs. Many people tend to mistake mining of coral stones with coral mining. The assumption is that coral stone is also gotten directly from the sea and as such is a direct threat to coral reefs.

Coral stone is formed from fossils of sea organisms such as calcareous algae, corals from which it gets its name and other organisms with a calcium carbonate base. The substance is formed from fossils that were in the sea thousands or even up to millions of years ago. Quarries where the coral stone is mined from, are outside the sea and as such do not present any risk whatsoever to coral reefs.

In contrast to the mining of coral reefs, the process of coral stone mining does not involve coral reefs in any way. Coral stone is first mined from the quarry and cut into blocks that are then transported to be used on various building sites. Moreover, the process is not as intense as the mining of coral reefs and thus is economically beneficial.

However mining of any material especially using the open cast method does affect the environment. It is sometimes very intensive and involves digging deep into the earth. Miners thus make it a point to ‘re-furbish’ these areas by growing trees by the national and international requirements of green foresting.

Coral stones have been used for a very long time. In the Americas, for instance, it was utilized by both villagers to make lasting huts and houses and by the Spanish in making hospitals and churches that stand to this day. In addition to durability, the coral stone is also very brightly colored in various shades making it an excellent material for beautifying your building.

 

Oolite Stone

Oolite stone has been increasing in popularity throughout Florida and the Caribbean as more and more people are using it to beautify their homes as well as create more of a private feel to them.

This sedimentary rock, which is formed when tiny ooids less than 2 mm long cement together after being put under pressure, is typically located in shallow tropical seas such as the Bahamas. Florida stone is generally found in the Florida Keys and near Miami's Biscayne Bay.

Waves keep these ooids moving, which enable them to become polished on all sides. The warm waters that exist around Florida also help lower the carbon dioxide that exists in them as gases tend to remain dissolved in warmer water; this feature is necessary to create oolite in greater numbers.

However, oolite stone can also be created in what would appear to be non-ideal conditions such as in the Great Salt Lake, which experiences chilly winter weather, and in places like drainage pipes.

The word "oolite" is derived from a Greek word for fish roe (eggs), and they do in fact look like tiny eggs.

This type of coral stone can be used in a variety of ways.

Several people utilize Florida stone as a fence that serves a dual purpose of adding to a home's aesthetic appeal as well as the practical use of creating a great deal of privacy. Some have this wall built up to a height that allows tree branches to lean just over it, adding to the home's overall beauty.

Coral stone has also been used to create picturesque columns. Some adventurous homeowners have even used it to help recreate a Greek amphitheater.

A few people have used Florida stone to create a rustic feel to a home's interior as well. The ambiance created by these types of walls being situated next to windows that provide a view of a beautiful Floridian waterway or other natural setting is inspiring.

However, few limits exist as far as where oolite stone can be used, and builders are always ready to put new ideas into motion and make them a reality.