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.
