Monday, April 25, 2011

HISTORIC PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: Great Pyramid of Giza

One of the world’s most recognizable structures and the only standing of the Eight Wonders of the World, the Great Pyramid of Giza is a historical natural limestone project of massive proportions and monumental insight into the design and engineering feats of Ancient Egypt. Today, we will discuss the facts and opinions surrounding how the Great Pyramid of Giza was created.


The Great Pyramid

The biggest of three large pyramids on the Giza Plateau along the west bank of the Nile River just outside of Cairo, the Great Pyramid of Giza has commanded a large portion of the attention of archaeologists and engineers alike.


Consisting of an estimated 2.3 million natural limestone blocks, the Great Pyramid of Giza covers over thirteen acres of land, with each side measuring 760 feet and rising to a peak of 460 feet tall. It is estimated that this massive project was built ranging anywhere from ten to twenty years, and as many as 50,000 people could have worked on the project.

While the pyramid rose at an angle of nearly 52 degrees, the means and methods behind this monolithic undertaking have been argued since it was first discovered.


The Stone

There has been much debate concerning the techniques used by ancient Egyptians to quarry, cut and dress rough-quarried natural stone for use in masonry. There have been no remnants of the drilling equipment or saws recovered, leaving all of us to only guess about the ancients’ drilling and sawing techniques.

However, we do know natural limestone quarried from the immediate area was the building material of choice for the Great Pyramid’s exterior façade. The builders designed the pyramid to have 210 horizontal layers of limestone. The underlying natural limestone blocks of the pyramid, what is primarily in visible decay today, averaged 2.5 tons per block. While the limestone blocks at the bottom of the pyramid were larger (approximately 6.5 to 10 tons), the size of the limestone blocks got smaller as the pyramid rose taller.


Finally, the Great Pyramid of Giza (as well as the surrounding pyramids on the Giza Plateau) was originally finished with Casing Blocks. These blocks were quarried from another region on the other side of the Nile. The limestone was notable finer, and the fifty-two degree angle was carved into these blocks, offering a highly-polished, white limestone pyramid that would stand as the largest man made structure for over 3,800 years.

Nearly all of the casing blocks have been stripped away over time, quarried from the pyramid to be used in construction projects in nearby towns. The Great Pyramid’s core masonry is now exposed to the elements and littered with huge divots and gashes, and the top is also missing, leaving a small platform about thirty feet square at the summit.

Nevertheless, the Great Pyramid of Giza remains the only Wonder of the World still standing and a constant basis of controversy when debating ancient design and engineering. More over, the Great Pyramid should remind us of the sustainability and versatility of natural stone usage in construction today. A product made of the earth will help maintain your project for the long haul!


For more information, please visit Kirby Stone Company, LLC online at:

www.KIRBYSTONE.com

Monday, April 18, 2011

STONE SHOWCASE: Kirby Cream

Product Description

Kirby Cream natural limestone, quarried in Salado, Texas, offers a rustic aesthetic with a variation of light colors and tints. Kirby Cream limestone includes a spectrum of cream and beige hues, creating more depth and texture within the appearance of a project.


Kirby Cream natural limestone is most often paired with a white mortar, which assists in providing the uniform color scheme our clients often desire when utilizing this natural stone product.

Kirby Cream limestone is quarried in Salado, Texas. For more information or photographs pertaining to Kirby Stone Company’s natural limestone products, please visit the Kirby Cream portion of our website. You may get there immediately by clicking HERE.


Product Availability

Kirby Stone Company’s Kirby Cream natural limestone products are available in a variety of different styles and product types. A full list of available products is listed below. Should you have any questions regarding terminology, you may access Kirby Stone Company’s Stone 101 Lessons by clicking HERE.
  • Sawn Chopped Stone
  • Thin Veneer Chopped Stone
  • Sawn Patio Stone
  • Sawn Hearths and Lintels
  • Sawn Blocks
  • Mill Blocks

For more information, please visit Kirby Stone Company, LLC online at:

www.KIRBYSTONE.com

Monday, April 11, 2011

STONE SHOWCASE: Chocolate Blend

Product Description

Aptly named for the colors of this unique sandstone blend, Kirby Stone Company’s Chocolate Blend Natural Sandstone products offer a warm, chocolate colors ranging from a light mocha (almost tan) to a very dark chocolate. The natural sandstone blend is easily recognized by the color scheme and the stone’s unique striations, or stripes through some of the stone. In addition, many chocolate blend pieces have differing colors on each side of the stone, so you can make your project as light or dark as you see fit. Chocolate Blend natural sandstone is well-suited with a tan, or buckskin, mortar.


Aesthetically, the tan mortar color assists in maintaining the chocolate colors of the stone. Chocolate Blend sandstone is quarried in Lometa, Texas. For more information or photographs pertaining to Kirby Stone Company’s Chocolate Blend natural sandstone products, please visit the Autumn Blend portion of our website. You may get there immediately by clicking HERE.


Product Availability


Kirby Stone Company’s Chocolate Blend natural sandstone products are available in a variety of different styles and product types. A full list of available products is listed below. Should you have any questions regarding terminology, you may access Kirby Stone Company’s Stone 101 Lessons by clicking HERE.
  • Quarry Chopped Stone
  • Sawn Chopped Stone
  • Thin Veneer Chopped Stone
  • 3” to 5” Flagstone
  • 4” to 6” Flagstone
  • Thin Veneer Flagstone
  • Sawn Patio Stone
  • Sawn Hearths and Lintels
  • Sawn Blocks
For more information, please visit Kirby Stone Company, LLC online at:

www.KIRBYSTONE.com
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