The art of stone cutting is a process that involves massive machinery, brute force and lots of water. Recently, team members from Architectkidd had the opportunity to visit several factories in Bangkok and Saraburi, a nearby province where much of the stone is processed into building materials in Thailand.
Inside these enormous factories and warehouses, workers process large chunks of rocks delivered from mountains both near and far away. The pieces of rock, which typically weight from 6,000 to 20,000 kg, are moved around and pass through a series of machines that transform the rock into incrementally thinner and smaller units.
In the final steps, the surfaces are polished or honed before being packaged for various standard and custom uses such as floor tiles, wall decorations and other architectural applications.
In witnessing the cycle of transformation from rocks to stone tiles and finishes, we were amazed by the contrast between the massive size of the initial inputs compared to the outcomes – a refined, easy to handle, and consumable building product for architecture. By studying and observing the techniques used in factories to cut, stack and order stone, Architectkidd have gained some new insights and ideas for our upcoming architectural projects and designs.
(Thanks to Empire Granite, Rachada Stone and Thai Marble Company.)
