In the traditional architecture of our country, the main structure of the material is stone on the ground floors and walls surrounding the courtyard. With this feature, our traditional architecture has taken its place as a subject of many researches in the world. In many areas where it is very difficult to find wood, the entrance floor is usually stone and the wooden skeleton system is built on it. These first floors are mostly the main living areas.
As a matter of fact, stone is one of the most important building materials used in buildings and monuments since ancient times. Stones are processed and shaped in different ways depending on the place of use, importance of the structure, purpose, size and region. As people survive, there has always been a traditional building material that forms structures, along with other building materials such as stone, brick or wood. The stones, which have different genres according to their characteristics and various parts of the structure, have been in a state of preservation of the architectural feature of each period.
It takes its name from the large and small pieces that break from the cult (rock) material that reveals the earth's crust. The sediment is divided into various classes, including spray, metamorphic.
Sedimentary cults are formed by sedimentation of substances entrained in water (flint, silex, sandstone, etc.). The eruption of the cults was caused by the cooling of the lava that came to earth. They do not contain any fossils (such as granite, profile, basalt). Metamorphic cults are those who have destroyed their physical qualities by factors such as light and water vapor. (Like marble). The quarries where these stones were extracted are called «quarries».
People have benefited from it by building buildings, embankments, bridges, palaces, walls, castles and roads. These occurred in different ways according to their lifetimes and the civilizations they founded. The artifacts unearthed from the excavations show them. When the first man and the first prophet Hazrat-i Adam were created, there were stones in the world besides the soil. It is Hazret-i Adem who first used the stone in building construction. He built a house of mud and stone.
The purpose uses of stones in different structures can be divided into classes in various ways. For example, the bearing stones act as carriers in the structure directly. The entire walls of the structure are built using stone. The cladding stones are used to coat a material used in the structure. Ornamental stones are used for decoration purposes in various parts of the structure. The use of stone as aggregate is in the production of concrete. The stone is broken into sand or gravel by showing different sizes and is used in mortar or plaster mixtures.
As can be seen in history, today, stones, structures are used in accordance with these purposes. The places where stones have been used throughout history generally include: building foundations, walls, slabs, stairs, window and door openings, windowsills, sills, grids, feet, pillars, arches, vaults and domes.
Stones used as building materials are generally classified as rubble stone, rough stone, fine stone and cut stone. Rubble stones are untreated stones which are used as they come out of the quarry. When used, only the spikes are roughly trimmed. When these stones are used, wall lattices have a rough appearance. Coarse or fine chipped stones are shaped before use and have a smoother appearance when used. The cut stones are the building blocks whose surfaces have been processed and put into a smooth shape.
Today, the usage areas and properties of stones in the building sector are included in the relevant legal regulations and standards published by domestic and foreign organizations. The qualifications of the stones according to the areas they are used are determined by tests performed in the authorized laboratories. Here are a few standards that are based on these tests:
- TS EN 771-5 Masonry units - Specifications - Part 5: Artificial stone masonry units
- TS EN 771-6 Masonry units - Specifications - Part 6: Natural stone masonry units
- TS EN 1467 Natural stones - Raw blocks - Specifications
- TS 2824 EN 1338 Concrete paving blocks for flooring - Requirements and test methods
- TS 436 EN 1340 Concrete curb stones for floor covering - Requirements and test methods
- TS EN 1341 Natural paving stones for exterior pavement - Features and test methods
