Trendsetting architects and designers all over
the world are seeking today for different materials, they are
going back to the essentials to capture the simplicity that
only exquisite and solid stones can possess.
That is why PORFIDO is "the" natural
stone, combining in the perfect proportions the strenght of
250 million years with the subtleness of nature´s unique
palette , which derivates in a perfect architectural tool to
make all the designs imagined possible...
La Pedrera is a company dedicated to the extraction and trade
of porfido of our own quarries located in Sierra Chata, which
is a mountain formation near the city of Puerto Madryn, distant
863 miles south of Buenos Aires, in the state of Chubut, argentine
Patagonia. We also count with a sales office, showroom and warehouse
in Buenos Aires. Our lands´ surface is of 38.63 square
miles, all absolutely covered with porfido rock mountain and
hill formations.
The porfido is blasted in blocks from the mountain side, both
with high technology machinery and the care of our crew, who,
given the years of experience, know how to approach the extraction,
following the inclination of the different rock layers depending
upon the destination of the product to be extracted.
With modern technology we also produce slabs,that
once polished,turn into beautiful countertops and tiles for
prestigious construction projects that seek distinctive seals
around the world.
PATAGONIC PORFIDO
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
"PORFIDO" is a stone formed in the
depths of the Earth, 250 million years ago. It is classified
among the magmatic formations (mass of fluids of volcanic origin),
solidified slowly while trapped inside the mountain, cooled
and crystallized. This makes porfido a stone with a high compression
and a high resistance to chemical agents. These characteristics
are quite similar to those of granite, however, in porfido we
find also some of the marble characteristics, such as the entrance
of foreign substances during the process of its formation along
millions of years; creating a variety of colors and special
veinings. Now, what is absolutely special about PATAGONIC PORFIDO
in particular, is the fact that our quarries are located near
the Atlantic Ocean coast, which gave this stone a high percentage
of oxide of silica (SO2), alumina, and also iron, calcium and
magnesium, all harmoniously distributed by Nature and "embraced"
by quartz crystalls ( the last of the mineralsAbout us in the
solidification chain),giving the porfido a unique, subtle and
very fine character that appears to the eye in earthly colors
with different shades of gray, violet, purple, oxide, and rusty
brown.
These special qualities of the PORFIDO stone is what made of
it the most popular stone all over Europe for centuries, up
to the point of being the chosen one of the Roman Empire to
build their most important roads, castles, public squares, and
monuments, which can be enjoyed by all of us while visiting
those wonderful places today.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The tests that porfido has been submitted to, are all according
to UNI rules, which are the specific technics regulated by the
European Community for all the specialized geology laboratories,
being the original one located in the Universitá di Pisa,
Italy, one of the main referrals for all kinds of composition
and response proofs.
-Resistance to bending stress ............................243
kg/sq. cm.
-Drop impact test................................................61
cm.
-Breaking and compression load.......................2,830 kg/sq.
cm.
-Inhibition coefficient by weight.......................7,65
%
-Breaking load under compression
(frost/thaw cycles).............................................2,847
kg/sq. cm.
-Grazing wear rate..............................................0,36
mm.
-Coefficient of linear thermal
dilation in mm/ml/Celsius.................................0,002960
-Weight per unit volume....................................
2,543 kg/m3.
Stone Composition: 70% silica
14% alumina
..8% alkali
The remaining percentages are composed of iron, calcium, magnesium,
sanidine, plagiocase crystals blended with quartz, biotite and
pyroxenes in form of a vitreous paste.
Reasons to choose porfido
over other stones:
Stone Tiles
We call these cuts the "stars"
of our porfido line.
These tiles are suitable both
for interior and exterior
architectural uses.
They are one of the main decor elements for
public squares, malls, hotel lobbies, office buildings, sidewalks,
and important residences where style is pursuited.
They are absolutely elegant, as they grant the touch of a classy
atmosphere that can only be obtained from our natural stones.
Pavers
Porfido pavers are a very eclectic product,
for they allow a great
variety of uses and styles, from a simple landscape border to
the most
sophisticated floor paving.
Their special quality of non-slip, non-frosty
surface, along with
the high resistance to impact, the flexureness and the extremely
low values concerning erosion, makes of this product the best
of choices for exterior paving.
A stroll on any of the thousand streets and
public squares of Europe that have been paved with porfido for
centuries and mantain their qualities intact, is the best proof
of these facts.
With the chromatic variety that porfido pavers
offer, the infinite design possibilities find their only limit
in the architects´ imagination or the clients´ demand.
Here shown in: fan shapes, concentric circles, archs, rectangles,
squares, and the classic parallel lines.
An avant-garde trend, becoming more popular
in the choice of clientele and designers: gorgeous stone tile
walls.
The incredible look of pórfido stone walls gives your
project, either for exteriors or interiors, the touch of pure
style.
Here are shown stone tile walls, and porfido
stairs, which are custom-made according to the different projects.
Flagstones
The versatility of the porfido and its unique coloration, can
turn any building entrance into a work of art.
Ideally suited for outdoor applications. Combines
adaptability to any surface
with the simplicity of its installation process.
Porfido flagstones can either be installed on
concrete beds with concrete joints when used for floor paving;
or on a sand and soil bed which allows the growth of grass in
between the stones, accomplishing the exotic and very European
look for residential entrances and patios.
