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Ebony Aksent 3D Panels Commercial Storefront Project
Commercial storefronts are all about durability while still meeting the style and design demands of the developer and tenants. Norstone has been fortunate enough to work with many higher end developers on commercial build outs where a natural stone veneer or facade was required as a way to distinguish a particular development compared to lower cost exterior veneers such as stucco, faux stone, and split face block. The storefront featured in this week’s project profile is no exception featuring both our Ochre XL Series Rock Panel and Ebony Aksent 3D Panel set among a modern designed facade of steel paneling and glass. Let’s take a closer look at the Ebony Aksent 3D Panels and see what makes them so special on this project.
The first thing that really catches our eye with the Ebony Aksent 3D stone veneer panels on this project is the height that they were installed. Flanking two sets of doors on both sides, the stone veneer goes from finished floor height all the way to above the facade of building, where the vertical features connect with a horizontal bridge section. At easily 20 feet in the air, the thin veneer format of the Aksent 3D Panels allows for the product to be set using an adhesive method in lieu of mechanical fastening (in accordance with the building codes of most areas). Weighing in at around 8.5 lbs per foot, this stone veneer easily is below the 15 lb per square foot requirement where mechanical fastening becomes the norm.
The next thing that we really liked about this project was the use of our finger jointed outside corner units for the Aksent 3D series. We take a lot of pride in making what we feel like is the most realistic and best looking outside corner unit in the stone veneer industry and projects like this, which features prominent outside corners the entire length up the wall is a great example of how great a stone veneer panel system corner can look like. Just like the corner units in our Standard Series and XL Series Rock Panels, every piece of the corner unit that faces outward is finished the same as the face of the panel, which for the Aksent 3D panels is a smooth honed surface. If you ever want to know how good of a stone veneer product you’re looking at, always look for a corner and see if some of the outward facing edges aren’t finished, or if a more basic dovetail style interlocking pattern is used and you’ll understand more about why we’re so proud of the corner unit we created.
The last thing that stands out to us about this project is cool color combinations used on the facade. The Ebony Aksent 3D product is stylistically geared towards a more modern look and as such, works really well with the commercial black framed windows and doors as well as the brushed steel facade panels. The Ebony color, which is a handful of shades darker than the more popular Ash Grey color in the Aksent 3D panel line, is a better pick for this project as it is very close in color to the window frames and has great contrast against the steel facade. The great geometric shape and texture the Aksent 3D Panels create also works nicely with the clean lines and architectural accents on the facade as well.
One thing we know for sure is that our natural stone veneer products will stand the test of time, even in the harsh realities of a commercial setting like this one, which make them an ideal choice for commercial developers and residential designers and homeowners alike looking for stylish modern products that are easy to install and maintain. Call and speak with one of our in house design experts or drop us a line via email and let us show you how a cool product like Ebony Aksent 3D panels can be a great fit for your next modern stone veneer project.
