Exterior Marble Study

CARRARA, Italy – Problems with exterior marble that’s installed improperly will be addressed by a new study in this legendary stone-production area.
Coordinated by Internazionale Marmi e Macchine (IMM) Carrara, the effort will investigate scientific causes behind the deterioration and bending of some varieties of white marble in external facings that quickly lose mechanical strength, so that the facing panels need to be partly or totally replaced,
The study will be known as BIAN.CA, an acronym of its Italian title. Translated, the full name is Carrara white marble: plan for environmental protection through a proper use in external facings.
The study, underwritten by a €65,000 ($83,954) grant by the regional government of Tuscany, is being driven by concerns over the reputation of materials from the Apuan Alps and its suppliers, as well as environment concerns.
White Carrara marble is often used in an improper manner, especially in external facings. Because of improper anchoring systems or the selection of unsuitable types of materials, it warps and deteriorates so much sometimes it has to be completely replaced.
“It is an extremely serious damage, not only from an economical point of view, but for the image of Apuan marble as well,” said Giancarlo Tonini, IMM Carrara president, “because the material or suppliers are unfairly blamed for this. That’s why we decided to scientifically study the problem of the superficial deterioration and above all of the ‘bending’ of the external facings in special ambient conditions by developing a serious research scheme which, as well as finding the causes behind the behaviour of marble, will also help designers and builders select varieties that are fit for their applications.”
The main objective of the plan is to prevent the use of marble varieties which are not fit for exterior applications, and to determine – through special tests – which Apuan materials are most-suitable.
“Through this plan, we intend to determine the causes behind this phenomenon, first by carrying out a detailed survey of the buildings erected over the last 30 years where marble was used for the external facings, then by checking their state of preservation,” said Paris Mazzanti, IMM Carrara CEO. “For this reason, we need all the local companies to cooperate, and we will ask them to report what works they have built, so that we can develop a databank, essential for a systematic assessment of these phenomena”.
The study of these features will provide an insight of the causes behind the phenomenon and advise professionals and end-users on the selection of types of marble which can be safely used.