Building Stone Evaluation
Our staff are experts in all areas of building stone evaluation including mechanical testing, permeability studies, petrographic characterization, and durability assessments. Let us help you with standardized testing or the development of unique proprietary testing programs.
Building stone can be as durable as it is beautiful. Still, stone is a natural material whose properties can vary considerably even within well-established quarry sources. For exterior commercial construction, it is imperative to ensure all stone on a project satisfies minimum industry standards to protect all parties from litigation. For more rigorous life-cycle requirements such as those of landmarked properties, it is prudent to assess durability for the specific service environment. In cases where previously installed stone has failed, testing can be used to investigate root causes so that appropriate repairs can be made and previous errors can be avoided.
Types of Laboratory Evaluations for Building Stone
Compliance with ASTM specification requirements
Petrographic evaluations (ASTM C1721) and x-ray diffraction analysis
Comparison of candidate sources of repair or replacement stone
In-person support for architectural quarry visits
Durability evaluations including freeze-thaw, salt resistance, patina predictions
Measurement of input values for hygrothermal modeling
Forensic studies of building stone failures
Highbridge has broad experience in all of these categories and can recommend and perform a testing and analysis program for projects of all scales. We are as comfortable applying our skills and expertise to delicate and decayed stonework on historical landmarks as we are performing quality control on pallets of stone to be used on high-rise construction.