Editorial to the topical collection “Building stones and geomaterials through history and environments: from quarry to heritage. Insights on the conditioning factors - The Rolf Snethlage-Volume”

Abstract

Under the umbrella of “building stones”, a wide range of research topics are possible. A vast interdisciplinary scientific community provides valuable information that should be considered at several levels. These are the extraction of the stone from the quarry to their application on buildings, and the implementation of conservation measures when necessary. The present special issue contains 44 articles on the research into natural building stones. The editorial intention is to present the main highlights of each paper, which are grouped into the following sections in order to better understand the overall content: Quarrying, Physical–Mechanical Properties, Heritage and Weathering, Restoration and Techniques, Miscellaneous. This volume is dedicated to the memory of Professor Rolf Snethlage. The international community of applied geosciences has lost an important researcher and teacher. Therefore, a brief description of importance of the research carried out by Rolf Snethlage is presented at the end of the Editorial.

A Novel Approach for the Reuse of Waste from the Extractive and Processing Industry of Natural Stone Binders: Development of Stone Composites

“…For centuries, natural stone has been used for several purposes, such as the following: building material, megaliths, ornamental objects, hunting, and working tools [1][2][3][4]. Upon the industrialization of natural stone production, both quarries and stone processing plants began to generate a high quantity of waste in large volumes.…”

Guidelines for Natural Stone Products in Connection with European Standards

“…In addition, the proper use of natural stones for historical purposes enriches the aesthetics of cities and preserves the cultural environment [6]. In this context, natural stones have been of considerable importance regarding historical and cultural heritage [2,[7][8][9][10].…”