Porphyry Guides & White Papers
Milestone Imports offers a comprehensive library filled with Porphyry Guides as well as our own White Paper to ensure the most up to date information.
The Economic Value of Porphyry Paving
May 2013
77 Pages, 5.3 MB PDF
Unique and beautiful material like Porphyry paving can have a major benefit to a project. Remarkable materials and incredible designs create a high economic value and return on investment and return on perception. A recent report clarifies the extent that this has happened for Chicago’s Millennium Park.
Porphyry and Stone Interiors
February 2013
20 Pages, 1.5 MB PDF
Natural stone like Porphyry is making a great comeback in homes with a contemporary design. Stone is non polluting, durable, maintainable and sometimes more affordable than in the past and appeals to designers and project owners alike, attracted by stone’s timeliness.
Another in the fabulous Stone Notebooks series, devoted to Stone and Architecture – Interiors is available here. This 20 page delight is full of design commentary, drawings in plan view and section, and multiple photographs of selected projects. They have been chosen by the creator of this series, Pierres & Marbres Wallonie, for their originality or their classicism, their simplicity or a specific construction detail.
Porphyry and Urban Streets
December 2012
36 Pages, 32.9 MB PDF
“We go back to some streets more often than to others…maybe a street unlocks memories or offers expectation of something pleasant to be seen…streets are places of social and commercial encounter and exchange…a place to be comforted by the presence of others.” – From Great Streets by Allan B Jacobs
Porphyry pavers have been used in the making of memorable streets and places from ancient times to modern day. A new guide to urban street design is available for local governments to peruse. It was created by the very transportation officials that are implementing policy. The National Organization of City Transportation Officials (NATCO), a network of big-city transportation departments, released the Urban Street Design Guidebook. It has been created in an effort to outline the 21st-century demands of urban streets.
Porphyry, Placemaking and Public Space
November 2012
35 Pages, 7.69 MB PDF
Porphyry stone paving can be an essential ingredient, one of many, that contributes the element of permanence, beauty and sustainability to a place. It is a material that defines a space as comfortable, memorable, elegant and special. It helps people want to go there.
The Project for Public Spaces (PPS) has released a draft of their handbook Placemaking and the Future of Cities. It’s intended to serve as a best practices guide for those wishing to improve the economic, environmental and social health of their communities through the power of successful public space.
The report sets out 10 principles for successful placemaking in cities and a series of case studies from the global south. While the focus is on the global south the principles are universal.
Porphyry – Surfaces 2
October 2012
20 Full Color Pages, 2.16 MB PDF
“If we add the creativity of landscape designers and the know-how of stone craftsmen, the outcome is necessarily unique and enriches the colorful palette of garden art as time goes by. Stone mixes with stone to enhance harmonious contrasts and reveal the diversity of our subsoil. It harmonizes with wood, concrete, brick or steel, while still retaining that close relationship with plant life, water and light.”
– PIERRES ET MARBRES
Porphyry stone pavers can have a unique place in the design of any outdoor area. This second notebook on surfaces, Stone in the Garden 04 – Surfaces2 is devoted to stone in surface coverings in the outdoors. It pays tribute to all the trades that contribute to such creations, from the simplest to the most sophisticated. These Notebooks are prepared by the stone experts at Pierres & Marbres Wallonie.
Porphyry and Complete Streets
September 2012
384 Pages, 15 MB PDF
“If we add the creativity of landscape designers and the know-how of stone craftsmen, the outcome is necessarily unique and enriches the colorful palette of garden art as time goes by. Stone mixes with stone to enhance harmonious contrasts and reveal the diversity of our subsoil. It harmonizes with wood, concrete, brick or steel, while still retaining that close relationship with plant life, water and light.”
– PIERRES ET MARBRES
Porphyry stone pavers can have a unique place in the design of any outdoor area. This second notebook on surfaces, Stone in the Garden 04 – Surfaces2 is devoted to stone in surface coverings in the outdoors. It pays tribute to all the trades that contribute to such creations, from the simplest to the most sophisticated. These Notebooks are prepared by the stone experts at Pierres & Marbres Wallonie.
Porphyry and Stone in the Garden 01-Surfaces
August 2012
20 Full Color Pages, 1.1 MB PDF
Stone is undoubtedly the first natural material which was used to create stable surfaces which could withstand heavy loads, from this beginning, the desire to create beautiful designs out of this practical material has been the work of architects, landscape architects, landscape designers and professional installers. This is another in the fabulous Stone Notebooks, it is full of design commentary, drawings in plan view and section, and multiple photographs of selected projects. They have been chosen by the creator of this series, Pierres & Marbres Wallonie, for their originality or their classicism, their simplicity or a specific construction detail. The term garden embraces all private spaces residential and commercial. Natural stone Porphyry can be adapted to any of these designs and comes in a multitude of colors.
Porphyry in the Federal Realm
June 2012
108 Pages, 2.4 MB PDF
Natural stone Porphyry pavers in the federal realm is an aesthetic enhancement that will create a distinctive, sustainable and affordable feature to any public space.
Achieving Great Federal Public Spaces builds the case for great public spaces in federal projects realizing that many of the existing spaces are not exceptional. It is an invaluable book for property managers, developers, and anyone else who wants to evaluate and improve their plazas, courtyards, and other public spaces. The book is both a hands-on resource with on-site exercises and a handy reference tool full of ideas and inspiration. It suggests the points in the process to consult an architect and landscape architect professionals. The Project for Public Spaces (PPS) has written and designed Achieving great federal public spaces: a property manager’s guide, in conjunction with the US General Services Administration Good Neighbor program.
Better Streets Better Cities
May 2012
186 Pages, 51.9 MB PDF
Better Streets, Better Cities: a guide to street design in urban India illustrates ways that good design can help create safer streets and more livable public spaces. Jurisdictions worldwide are realizing that the singular focus on vehicular traffic as the basis of design for streets is incorrect. Reclaiming the streets for pedestrians and other modes of transportation is going on everywhere.
This guide was prepared by the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP) in collaboration with the Ahmedabad-based Environmental Planning Collaborative (EPC).
The guide can serve as a reference manual for municipal governments, practitioners, design consultants, and academic institutions. While the guide was developed considering Indian conditions, applicability in other countries can be explored.
The use of Porphyry natural stone pavers in the appropriate design situation creates an aesthetic and long lasting application that contributes to the quality of place.
Porphyry Designer/Specifier Checklist
August 2011
10 technical issues that are key to choosing or specifying the correct stone paver for exterior use can affect the outcome and the sustainability of the project. The beauty of stone is unquestioned. We no longer have to use it, we want to use it. The functionality of stone in the context of the project and its’ ability to meet the technical needs inherent in the project are what this list is all about.
Just for a moment, before the beauty part, and the renderings and the drawings, every exterior stone paving project should review the technical performance of the products being considered.
We have assembled a list to 10 Key Issues that have to do with the required performance of the surfaces in question. You will want this list in your initial deliberations with the client, and retained in your future for reference.
