Local Stone Techniques. New Eco-Friendly Meanings for the Community

In the paper the authors afford the question of stone viewed not only as the most antique construction material, but also as a new sustainable material of contemporary masonry techniques. At the same time, the relationship between the building, the soil, and the place will be explored, considering how the raw materials used for construction come directly from the local context. This continuity creates a strong harmony between architecture and landscape and establishes an identity link between the buildings and the land. Six points of reflection for an environmental design will be lightened: health reliability, local resources, perceptual adaptability to landscape, long-lasting durability, the possibility of reusing recycled material, and bioclimatic performance. In a second part of the paper, the authors will propose a series of contemporary realised case studies and experimentations. Finally, a perspective of the significance for communities of returning to this antique value is prospected.