This section of the Polycor website is built specifically for design professionals: architects, landscape architects, specifiers, building owners, and project managers working on commercial buildings, civic infrastructure, urban plazas, institutional campuses, and transportation. Everything here — the applications, the portfolio, the technical resources, and the specification guides — is organized around how design professionals work, from early material exploration through construction administration.

For commercial paving applications, compressive strength (ASTM C-170), abrasive hardness (ASTM C-241), absorption and density (ASTM C-97), and dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF) all inform whether a material is genuinely appropriate for the intended use, not just aesthetically compelling.

And maintaining ownership of most of the supply chain allows us to reduce risks, from the extraction of the raw materials to delivery of the final product.

For cladding and facade applications, flexural strength (ASTM C-880), freeze-thaw performance and anchor pull-out tests determine whether a stone will perform safely and durably under the mechanical and environmental loads of an anchored exterior system. Getting these answers right at the specification stage prevents costly value engineering decisions later in the project.

For commercial paving specifically, finish selection is as consequential as material selection. Thermal finish granite — exclusive to granite among natural stones — provides the slip resistance, durability, and low maintenance profile that urban plazas, educational campuses, transit hubs, and civic streetscapes demand.

Granite outperforms cast concrete in compressive strength, color permanence, lifecycle cost, and environmental impact across every metric that matters for a 50-year or 100-year building program.