Most of the world’s longest-standing buildings have one thing in common: They are made from stone. Still, you’d be hard-pressed to find this civilization-outlasting material as a structural element in modern construction. Many stone buildings are imposters: thin veneers of limestone or granite disguising concrete and steel skeletons.

In its day job as Earth’s crust, stone is currently holding up entire cities, countries and continents. But it’s rarely used to its full potential as a load-bearing material that can be stronger than concrete.