Tensioned stone

Tensioned stone is a high-performance composite construction material: stone held in compression with tension elements. The tension elements can be connected to the outside of the stone, but more typically tendons are threaded internally through a drilled duct.

Tensioned stone can consist of a single block of stone, though drill limitations and other considerations mean it is typically an assembly of multiple blocks with grout between pieces. Tensioned stone has been used in both vertical columns (posts), and in horizontal beams (lintels). It has also been used in more unusual stonemasonry applications: arch stabilization, foot bridges, granite flag posts, cantilevered sculptures, a space frame, and staircases.

Tensioned stone has an affiliation with massive precut stone, which is a central technique of modern load-bearing stonemasonry. It is also aligned with mass timber and straw structural insulated panels (SSIPs), which are all reconfigurations of traditional materials for modern construction that involve some pre-fabrication.

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