Created in the central and western part of Brazil to be the new capital of the country, Brasília is a definitive example of modernist twentieth-century urbanism and was named a Cultural Heritage Property by UNESCO in 1987. It was built in just four years (1956–60), following a design by urbanist Lúcio Costa and architect Oscar Niemeyer. However, despite the worldwide recognition of the architectural value of the buildings, the extensive use of white marbles as cladding is scarcely mentioned in the literature. Surveys conducted in this work indicate that the majority of the marble was sourced primarily from the Italva region (Rio de Janeiro), and probably, in minor quantities, from Cachoeiro de Itapemirim region (Espírito Santo). Available technological data for rocks from those regions revealed their suitable engineering properties as natural stone. Currently, although most of the slabs still remain on the buildings, the preservation of this world cultural heritage is urgent, as pointed out by UNESCO. For this purpose, the potential designation under the name the Brasília white marbles as a Global Heritage Stone Resource would be very beneficial, encouraging the availability of these natural stones for conservation and restoration.
This paper presents the Facoidal gneiss, the most significant and characteristic natural and heritage stone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, also known as 'the most carioca of rocks. ' The metropolis that is a World Heritage Cultural Landscape was built on, over, around, and with local stones, mostly Neoproterozoic gneisses. Among them, Facoidal gneiss occurs both sides of the Guanabara Bay, shaping its natural monuments as the Corcovado and the Sugar Loaf. It is composed of K-feldspar megacrysts usually deformed, looking like eyes (augen), arranged in a quartzfeldspar and biotite rich matrix. Its colour varies from pink to greyish. This stone was substantially used as a building material in many heritage monuments and buildings, in frames of windows and doors in houses, in sidewalks and public infrastructures. The aggressive environment of Rio de Janeiro, a tropical coastal megalopolis, is reflected in decay patterns such as loss of matrix and spalling. There are no quarries in production as this rock outcrops stand inside nature conservation or urbanized areas. The current impossibility of extracting replacement material justifies calling attention to this stone for the better conservation of Rio de Janeiro's built heritage.
Este artigo trata do histórico e do enquadramento atual da designação Pedra do Patrimônio da União Internacional de Ciências Geológicas (IUGS) outorgada a rochas utilizadas em construções arquitetônicas e monumentos representativos de aspectos integrais da cultura humana. A designação Pedra do Patrimônio da IUGS visa contribuir para a disseminação do conhecimento geológico na sociedade e para a conservação dos monumentos. Para ser designada, uma rocha precisa ser formalmente proposta à Subcomissão de Pedras do Patrimônio da Comissão Internacional de Geopatrimônio (HSS/ICG) da IUGS, seguindo o padrão de relatório da HSS e sustentada por publicações científicas e técnicas, com detalhamento das características geológicas e tecnológicas da pedra candidata, pedreiras de origem e justificativa do seu valor cultural para a humanidade. Já obtiveram a designação 32 pedras, algumas componentes do patrimônio de muitos países, como o Mármore Carrara, da Itália, e outras de uso regional, mas significantes para a cultura global por integrar patrimônios da humanidade da Organização das Nações Unidas para a Educação, a Ciência e a Cultura (UNESCO), como o Calcário Jaisalmer, daÍndia. Pelo Brasil, duas pedras serão propostas em 2023: o Gnaisse Facoidal, do Rio de Janeiro, e o Esteatito, de Minas Gerais. A escassa e dispersa informação disponível no Brasil sobre os materiais pétreos utilizados no patrimônio representa um desafio, e a contribuição dos geocientistas é fundamental para propor novas candidaturas a Pedras do Patrimônio da IUGS por meio da documentação das características, da origem e do uso das pedras brasileiras. Ainda, o compartilhamento do conhecimento com profissionais de outras áreas e a divulgação para a sociedade são importantes contribuições para a conservação do patrimônio cultural brasileiro.
In the version of this Article originally published, in Table 1, there was an error in the 'Period (equatorial J2000)' parameter value. The value '4.276057' should have been '4.296057'. Also, in the third paragraph of the main text, in the fifth sentence, the value '4.276057' should have been '4.296059'. These have now been corrected in all versions of the Article.
Brazil is one of the main producers and exporters of natural stones in the world. Aiming to contribute to environmental improvements, the life cycle inventory of Brazilian natural stones – LCI Stones was elaborated. This paper presents the results obtained along the LCI Stones project. The project was carried out according to the Brazilian methodology for the elaboration of inventories and to the 14040 and 14044 ISO standards. The study consists of two product systems: quarrying and processing (which is divided in two other subsystems: sawing and polishing), being the last one the main system of this study. The product considered is the polished slab. The data were collected within producing companies, comprising a representative time period for the inventory validation. All inputs and outputs of mass, water and energy as well as products and emissions, within the boundaries, were identified and quantified. The main difficulty found in the data collection was the lack of data control by the companies, mainly the water and energy consumption and polishing inputs. The results of the study showed that, among the stone production processes, gang saw cutting was the one with the most relevant impacts. On account of the rapid technological improvements during the last years, the LCI-Stones is being updated by CETEM.
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