Robert Bellospirito: From Quarrier to AIA Instructor

Robert Bellospirito, President of Devonian Stone of New York, a sandstone mining and fabrication company in upstate Windsor, NY, has been accepted by The American Institute of Architects into the award-winning AIA Continuing Education System as a Registered Provider, and will be teaching architects about the qualities of New York sandstone as a building material.

(PRWEB) December 17, 2003 --Robert Bellospirito, President of Devonian Stone of New York, a sandstone mining and fabrication company in upstate Windsor, NY, has been accepted by The American Institute of Architects into the award-winning AIA Continuing Education System as a Registered Provider, and will be teaching architects about the qualities of New York sandstone as a building material. Found only in New York, Devonian sandstone was formed during the Devonian Period and evolved over 410 million years of glacial pressures and mountain building events.

Part of the application process to the AIA required Bellospirito to develop a course outline describing the topics he would cover in the class he was proposing to teach. Because he has become an expert in his knowledge of Devonian sandstone since he started his business less than a decade ago, his course outline includes a wide range of topical information, such as geological formation of this particular stone, how to locate the stone and determine bed quality, and also how to explore for the stone with environmentally friendly techniques, which is something that perhaps Bellospirito is more qualified than anyone else to teach.

When he initially got into the business, Bellospirito was disturbed when he saw that other quarriers located the stone by using bulldozers to dig gaping holes in the side of a mountain. He explains, This place is beautiful and Ive got a lot of respect for the environment, so I thought there had to be some way of exploring for this mineral without tearing up the countryside."

So, instead of bulldozers, Bellospirito developed a scientific way of exploring for the mineral that is efficient and environmentally friendly, and has also been approved by the NY State Geological Survey and the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation. Furthermore, Bill Kelly of the NYSGS and Paul Misiaszek, formerly of the NYDEC, have credited Robert Bellospirito with the first modern scientific mineral exploration for Devonian sandstone.

Other topics Bellospirito will be covering in his class include cutting and fabricating the stone, installation techniques and finishes for non-slip" applications, which are used primarily in handicapped areas.

A full-color feature article about Robert Bellospirito and his company recently appeared in the September 2003 issue of Stone World Magazine.
###