Szerelmey is a historic UK specialist contractor specialising in stonework, restoration, conservation and new-build façade projects. Founded in 1855, the company comes with a time-served seal of approval, which is reflected in the numerous projects on display across the country. The team combines traditional craftsmanship with in-house design and delivery capabilities across complex architectural commissions, of which Operations Director Tamsin Pickeral plays a vital role.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Our offices are based in Vauxhall, London, and I come into the office three days a week. On those days, everything starts very early, with my alarm going off at 04:10! I sort my clothes out the night before to save a bit of time, chug a coffee, and start the day with some Radio 5 Live. I generally doze on the train and am at my desk by 08:00 with a pint of coffee. My days often involve meetings with clients, which I really enjoy, and also lots of internal team meetings. On any given day, I might be involved in project meetings, following up on sales leads and managing our compliance team, presenting CPDs, or talking at seminars on sustainability and material reuse. I can also be found visiting sites, management meetings, generating PR material, on a project photoshoot, running our CRM software or sitting in on Health and Safety meetings. I try to go for a very slow jog (more of a shuffle) at lunchtime to get some fresh air. 

My working from home days are a little less chaotic – to start with, I can have a lie-in to 06:15! Then I take my elderly greyhound for a walk before settling down with coffee and “getting stuff done”. I like to get all my work admin, planning and writing done at home, where it is nice and quiet and free from distractions…other than the dog.

How integral are materials/surfaces to your day-to-day? 

Materials are completely integral to my every day and are one of many reasons why I love doing what I do! Szerelmey is an interesting company because we have two distinct sides to the business – new build, which incorporates a lot of complex design works and a diverse range of materials, and restoration, which covers all types of restoration, remodelling, refurbishment, dismantling and rebuilding facades. We cover pretty much everything and everything, and it’s all material-focused. My role in terms of sales and marketing sees me delving around in our stone sample drawers on pretty much a daily basis, receiving samples from suppliers, sitting in on supplier presentations and talking to clients about potential materials. These can range from stone, brick, terracotta and faience, to mosaic, glazed basalt, glazed brick and stone brick – the list goes on. I find the range of materials we work with genuinely fascinating and get very excited (over excited) on occasion talking about them. The tactile nature of the materials really appeals to me, and nothing more so than being able to reuse or repurpose a material from one project to another, or even within the same project. One area of materials that I am really passionate about is faience. Faience is glazed terracotta and affords virtually limitless artistic potential. I spend quite a lot of time delivering CPDs on the use of faience in modern buildings and trying to convince architects to use it!

What are the biggest lessons you have taken forward from your original training? 

This is an interesting one for me because I fell into this industry by happy accident! My academic training was in History of Art and Architecture, which is entirely unhelpful for any career other than working in the arts, although I thoroughly enjoyed it. In hindsight, I think it did teach me how to look at buildings in a subjective and analytical way, which has helped me with my current role.  It also instilled an absolute passion in me for “good” architecture and for the significance of historic construction and materials. I spent twenty-odd years working as a freelance professional writer, mostly non-fiction books, websites and marketing material. This taught me resilience and how to sell, and it was through this work that I landed a contract writing a few pieces for Szerelmey. One thing led to another and all of sudden I was a full time employee with a job title. It has made me realise that it doesn’t matter where you start in your career; providing you are dedicated and prepared to put the work in, you will eventually get to where you want to be. I am also very lucky that the culture at Szerelmey allowed me to develop and learn – there is no better education than being surrounded by brilliant people, and I find I am still learning every day. I would say to anyone starting out in the industry or even thinking about it, just go for it. 

Which project/s are you most proud of being involved with and why?

This is a tough one because we are lucky enough to be involved with such amazing projects. One that definitely makes the cut is Battersea Power Station. Our Restoration team did all of the internal restoration work which also included a lot of structural steel works and making new openings etc. I was involved in this one very early on, which is often the case. I remember several site visits before any of the works began when the building was literally a derelict shell with no roof in parts. To see it now, and what the restoration of this hugely iconic building has done to regenerate the whole area is really quite extraordinary – I still have to pinch myself when I see it, and am so proud of not just our team but everyone who was involved in bringing this back to life, not least the developers with deep pockets behind it. 

Another of my favourite projects is a small faience-clad house called A House for Essex, designed by Fat Architecture and Grayson Perry. The building is quite extraordinary, somewhere between a Russian jewel box and Hansel and Gretal. The design tells the life story of an average girl from Essexbut in technical terms, the project was fairly complicated and completely clad in hand-produced and highly detailed faience units. The elliptical-shaped chimney, which is 2.5m tall, was particularly difficult to manufacture and install. One of the highlights of the project for me was taking Grayson to visit Darwen Terracotta for the day and the very lively conversations we had!

What do you feel are the main challenges facing the stone and surfaces industry today?

I would prefer to start with a positive. Due to the increasing emphasis on sustainability and carbon reduction, there are real opportunities for the industry at the moment, both in the use of locally sourced new stone and the reuse of existing materials. The reuse agenda is really interesting as it is making people think differently about how to do things and I believe we will continue to see massive steps forward in this respect, which is fantastic. That said, there are challenges, with economic uncertainty being key. Developers are understandably extremely cautious, and combined with a backlog caused by Gateway 2 problems, has led to significant delays in projects moving forward. Getting into contract is taking longer and longer and there are pressures to continually value-engineer elements. Another challenge that has become increasingly evident since Brexit is finding quality employees. I could go on, but I think it is important to remember that our industry is very resilient and there are exciting times ahead.

In your opinion, what are the positives of using stone in the built environment? 

Stone lasts pretty much forever, as evidenced by the volume of historic stone buildings and monuments, so if there is a genuine move towards sustainability, then a material with the longevity of stone must surely be the answer. A consideration is how we build. Modern building methods typically involve fixing slimmed down stone pieces to either steel or concrete, both of which have a significant carbon footprint. Traditionally, the stone was the structure! It is not feasible to build like this across the board today, but there are certainly strong cases for the use of structural and/or post-tensioned stone for some projects to reduce steel and concrete, as well as significantly reducing build time and cost. I am a huge supporter of using local materials where possible, too. There are tons of quarries of beautiful stone in the UK that have closed down, which is really sad. It would be great to see some government funding going into these, and the stone being used on local housing projects. Stone bricks in particular - they’re just like a clay brick but without the processing (firing), making them a fantastic low carbon alternative. 

How does sustainability shape your thinking and decision-making, and how do materials fit into this?

Sustainability is very much at the front and centre of every project I am involved with now, which is fantastic. However, there is still a huge amount of “greenwashing” going on; box ticking, misguided views on what is sustainable and what is not, confusion over EPDs (what do they actually mean and how to read them when they all appear to be set out differently) and cost. The most sustainable option for a project might not always be the cheapest, so it entirely depends on the client or developer, and to what extent they are prepared to build or refurbish in a sustainable manner. I really look forward to sustainability being genuinely embedded at the core of all building projects. We are not quite there yet, but I do think the industry is definitely moving in the right direction!

Druid Grove is a modest London terrace that has been quietly but radically reimagined. Set on a residential street in East Dulwich, the three-bedroom house has been extended and refurbished by CAN for a visual artist client, transforming a familiar typology into something closer to a spatial artwork. The project demonstrates how material choices, construction processes and architectural narrative can work together to create a domestic environment that feels both experimental and deeply grounded, with a direct connection to nature.

Image Credit: Felix Speller

The most literal connection to nature sits just beyond the rear extension. In the garden stands a single upright stone, or menhir, acting as a privacy screen and symbolic anchor. Selected by the client and architect from a stone farm in Cornwall, the rock was craned delicately over the house into position. Geological history is embedded in the project here: the stone was last moved by glacial action some 15,000 years ago. Its presence introduces weight, age and a sense of protection, contrasting sharply with the lightweight steel canopy that shelters the patio.

Image Credit: Felix Speller

The existing house was typical of its kind: compartmentalised, low on natural light and constrained by a narrow rear outrigger. CAN’s intervention has been relatively restrained in plan but ambitious in intent. A half-metre rear extension and the removal of a central loadbearing wall allowed the ground floor to be opened up and reorganised, creating a sequence of spaces that unfold gradually rather than reading as one continuous room. This spatial choreography became a framework for an intense exploration of materiality, texture and atmosphere.

The client’s brief was unconventional. Rather than precedent images of buildings or interiors, they shared references drawn from hyper-real natural scenes, industrial steel structures and florid, almost theatrical arrangements of flowers. For CAN, whose work often sits between architecture, art and cultural research, this provided fertile ground. Director and lead architect Mat Barnes describes the process as one of translating moods and mythologies into physical form, prioritising how spaces feel as much as how they function.

Image Credit: Felix Speller

At the heart of the ground floor is an antechamber that was once a dark, underused dining area. Now it acts as a threshold space, anchoring the plan and introducing the project’s material language. A small bar is set into the room, while a pair of cave-like openings lead through to the living spaces on either side. These apertures are deliberately sculptural, concealing sliding pocket doors within their thickness and setting up a contrast between smooth painted surfaces and rougher textures beyond.

The front living room is deliberately restrained in palette. Walls and ceilings are finished in a creamy white that emphasises the geometry of the openings and allows light to move softly across the surfaces. Underfoot, Douglas fir plywood panels are oiled rather than lacquered, bringing out the grain and warmth of the timber and establishing a tactile, almost workshop-like quality that recurs throughout the house.

Image Credit: Felix Speller

The kitchen and dining area is arguably where the project’s material experimentation becomes most pronounced. The space is organised around a four-metre-long stainless steel island that gently meanders through the room. Fabricated in two sections and craned in through the front window, the island incorporates integrated hobs and a fully welded sink, giving it the appearance of a single, monolithic object. Its reflective surface catches light and colour from the surrounding finishes, acting as both functional workspace and sculptural centrepiece.

Image Credit: Felix Speller

Around this, CAN has combined bespoke elements with off-the-shelf systems. A tall pantry unit uses standard IKEA carcasses, but these are wrapped in Douglas fir plywood and finished with a burnt orange linseed oil stain. Above, timber trusses span the space, but are transformed into vegetal tendrils. Walls in the kitchen are finished in a grey rough-cast render, against which a panel of glazed Palet tiles in pink and orange tones provides a moment of colour and gloss. A high-sheen pale pink-cream paint elsewhere helps bounce daylight deep into the plan, reinforcing the sense that light itself is a material being actively shaped.

Image Credit: Felix Speller

Throughout Druid Grove, CAN’s approach is consistent: materials are allowed to express themselves, construction processes are made visible, and domestic spaces are treated as sites of creative potential. Barnes notes that the challenge was to make the client’s futuristic and natural references “physical in a way that could be lived-in and grounded”. Stainless steel, ancient stone, timber, terrazzo and colour are brought together not for effect alone, but to create a home that feels protective, personal and wonderfully idiosyncratic.

The result is a house that resists easy categorisation. It is neither a neutral backdrop nor an overtly theatrical set. But for CAN, Druid Grove continues an ongoing exploration of how architecture can translate individual narratives into built form. 

Hutton Stone is an independent, family-run quarrying and masonry business operating across the Scottish Borders and North Northumberland. Working with British sandstone from its own and other indigenous quarries, the company supplies material for restoration, new-build, landscape and bespoke projects nationwide. Recent highlights have also included supplying stone bricks for the Stone Demonstrator, along with an extension in Mile End. As Managing Director, Marcus Paine balances day-to-day production with a wider ambition: re-establishing indigenous natural stone as a credible, low-carbon material for contemporary construction. So what makes him tick?

What does a typical day look like for you?

These days, very varied. Of course, there’s the day-to-day management of the business in conjunction with the team. That might see me at our main production Yard at Hutton, or maybe at the Quarries, and in either case, supporting or adapting the direction we have collectively planned together. Increasingly in the last few years though, my time has also been taken up progressing the wider industry conversation on the future use of natural stone and what it can offer to a low-carbon construction solution. That might mean hosting one of a great number of tours of our facilities for students and architecture groups; attending seminars, giving talks and CPD’s, or collaborating with our other industry colleagues in showcasing exciting new ways to think about our material at national and international exhibitions.

How integral are materials/surfaces to your day-to-day? 

As 5th generation quarriers and suppliers of indigenous natural stone building products, our material, and engagement with it, are fundamentally critical to everything we do. Everything I do is mindful of both the potential and the limitations of each stone type we work, and communicating a deeper understanding of that to a growing audience interested in how we have come to think of natural Stone.

What are the biggest lessons you have taken forward from your original training? 

As far as my education in the natural stone trade is concerned, it has centered around the lessons learnt and passed down from several generations of my family, who physically worked the material in all its forms. This, together with my good fortune to set up my own stone career in the Scottish Borders and North Northumberland, which taught me a great deal about the significance of all the different areas of the country and how the material in any particular area differs from another. This became a real study for me as I sought to learn new techniques when I came North, and I came to understand just how incredibly significant the great quarries of the North had been in their heyday. My career before launching Hutton Stone Co Ltd was in associated construction trades and I worked for companies Large and small across London and the South of England. This taught me a great deal about working for different types of business, and different types of management approaches, and I have tried to be mindful of the view from my team’s shoes as best I can throughout my career. Beyond this, I was an unexceptional academic student, thinking myself cleverer and funnier than my teachers, which ultimately has led with the benefit of hindsight … to a hard life.

Which project/s are you most proud of being involved with and why?

Having started on my own in an old barn with an audience of bemused local builders who hereabouts had largely dismissed natural Stone as a forgotten luxury from a bygone age - in favour at that time of timber frame, block and render with a pebbledash finish - I can tell you that I am proud of every single stone I dressed (often in sheer desperation) in those early years. I am proud of all the staff that slowly but surely joined us as we developed and progressed, and I am delighted that many of those people are still my colleagues today.

We have completed projects including new builds , private dwellings, extensions, housing estates, hotels, office blocks, schools and hospitals. As well as restorations, such as castles, churches, stately homes, museums and civic buildings across the UK. It feels incredible to me now, and I am simply very proud to have been part of it.

What do you feel are the main challenges facing the stone and surfaces industry today?

I speak only for the natural stone industry -  which in all but a niche high end area of the market has been largely and very successfully eclipsed by other “surfaces” progressively throughout the 20 th century and now beyond. That is somewhat to do with social change and also an understandable outcome of our industrial development in steel, concrete, clay and glass through the harnessed power of fossil fuels. Our choice as an industry is either to continue to accept this outcome and be gone, or to begin reversing the trend by a very significant re-engaging with the wider design and construction industry on the cost effective, sustainable and many other merits of our material. The additional challenge for the indigenous stone industry everywhere is the battle that rages within itself from importation and substitution, along with a seeming acceptance that this is becoming the standard within the current construction model - regardless of true total cost.

In your opinion, what are the positives of using stone in the built environment? 

We are connected to natural products. It is true that we marvel at the imagination and ingenuity of the humanmade alternatives, with their glittering perfection, but people are inherently drawn to touch natural products such as stone and wood, and thereafter find natural variation a relief from the manmade alternatives. We all have to own our choices of course, but we see a growing movement of designers more moved by the natural imperfection and the benefits of embracing it.

How does sustainability shape your thinking and decision-making, and how do materials fit into this?

Sustainability and the question of how materials contribute to it have

allowed natural materials a chance to be reconsidered, and in the case of natural stone, a chance to reestablish itself as something more than an overly sanitised, thin, luxury dressing. Every choice we have made at Hutton Stone over the last several years has been entirely driven by this conversation, and to do our bit to ensure natural stone has a fair shout going forward in a currently reluctant status quo.

In Greek mythology, when Pandora opened Zeus’s box, she released irreversible evils upon the earth. The recent news cycle concerning the undressing of women by Elon Musk’s Grok is, for many, further proof that AI is our modern-day version of the box. 

Yet, as speculation about AI’s future impact continues to circulate at an adrenaline-inducing rate, there are clearly opportunities to utilise it as a practical tool, for good - particularly for creatives who are interested in the potential of text-to-image tools such as Midjourney.

Agata Murasko is a London-based architect and digital artist who creates spatial narratives that sit at the intersection of digital archaeology, visual storytelling and speculative design. In her work, the lines between fiction and reality are deliberately blurred.

In her recent self-initiated research project titled Fictional Ruins, Agata has been exploring the notion of architectural ‘ruin’ through the collective memory of A.I.  via Midjourney. Whenever prompted with a specific text, the software generates variants that conform to its own patterns, while also introducing some level of variation. 

By slowly excavating visual fragments of the data used to train the A.I. tool, emerging patterns began to suggest prevailing visual representations of architectural ‘ruins’ assembled from these shards. As she explains, Agata became interested in “the slight deviations from the patterns, or one might say errors and accidental anomalies,” which she has worked into her images, while utilising the tool as a collaborator.

By blending traditional methods and A.I., Agata develops imaginary that is evocative, poetic, and at times uncanny. Her images represent spatial sequences where ancient structures anchor contemporary spaces, blurring the boundary between real and surreal. Through these speculative narratives, she aims to invite audiences to reimagine architectural ruins not as remnants, but as sites of possibility. And perhaps unsurprisingly, given its ability to endure over time, stone is consistently and prominently the material of choice to do so. 

Drawing inspiration from literature, observations, and her experience as an architect working on building reuse projects, Agata is challenging this novel technology and the assumptions we may be making about it. She hopes that her images can “enhance our conceptual thinking and what value as creatives we bring in the context of the emerging A.I. technologies.” Hope is, after all, the one thing Pandora managed to leave in the box.

The Worktop Fabrication Federation (WFF) has launched what it describes as a first-of-its-kind quality mark aimed at helping specifiers, retailers, designers and consumers identify kitchen worktops that have been fabricated without putting workers’ health at risk.

As we’ve reported, the scheme comes against a backdrop of growing concern over silicosis linked to poor control of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in fabrication workshops. By introducing an independently assessed mark, WFF says it wants to clearly differentiate responsible businesses from those “willing to risk having a beautiful kitchen at the cost of someone’s health or life”.

At the heart of the quality mark are regular, independent workplace assessments carried out by professionally registered occupational hygienists. These assessments focus on the recognition, evaluation and control of health hazards, particularly those associated with high-silica materials. Kevin Bampton, chief executive of the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS), said the intention is to give the supply chain “a clear choice”. “Buying a worktop from an accredited company means you are buying from a business able and willing to protect a worker’s health,” he said. “Buying elsewhere means you are willing to risk having a beautiful kitchen at the cost of someone’s health or life.”

Accredited fabricators will also actively promote the Lungs at Work project, providing a direct referral route for workers who may previously have been over-exposed to silica to access medical screening. In line with emerging clinical recommendations, participating businesses must commit to enhanced health surveillance to support earlier detection of respiratory risk.

While engineered stone is a key focus, the WFF stresses that the quality mark applies to all high-silica materials that can pose a health hazard if not properly controlled. The scheme allows retailers and the wider construction supply chain to verify whether products have been fabricated in environments that comply with recognised good control practice. Accreditation status will be publicly displayed and easily checked via the WFF website.

Fabricators seeking the mark must demonstrate robust management systems, effective exposure controls, comprehensive training, and safe storage and handling of materials. The criteria align with guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and BOHS, with BOHS specialists continuing to review and strengthen the requirements.

BOHS has worked alongside WFF to develop training and research that tackles real-world barriers to effective control. Dr Johanna Feary FRCP, PhD, highlighted why this approach matters. “Silicosis is a preventable but irreversible lung disease, and we are seeing increasing numbers of cases linked to poorly controlled exposure,” she said. “An initiative such as this kitemark… is a significant step forward in protecting workers’ respiratory health.”

She added that focusing on education, effective exposure control, avoidance of high-silica products where possible and early health surveillance “has the potential not only to reduce future disease, but to identify people at risk earlier, when interventions can still make a meaningful difference”.

Dr Scott McGibbon, director at Pvotal Consultancy, described the requirement for independent occupational hygiene assessments as a landmark for British manufacturing: “The WFF partnership with BOHS, underpinned by the new quality mark, signals a strong commitment to raising occupational hygiene standards and providing trusted, independently verified assurance of workplace health practices.”

The quality mark signifies a positive start to 2026 for the industry, with WFF positioning it as a practical tool to improve confidence, compliance and, ultimately, worker health across the worktop fabrication sector.

Nestled between the breathtaking north Cornish coast and the rugged Bodmin Moor, Woodland Stonework builds mortared walls, drystone walls, stone cladding for new builds, Cornish hedging, and bespoke commissioned pieces. The man behind the company, Blair Woodland, has a passion for stone craft, which is apparent from the many varied projects in their extensive portfolio. So what makes a traditional craftsperson like Blair tick? 

What does a typical day look like for you?

There’s rarely such a thing as a standard day on site. Larger jobs can stay the same for a while, but because I work across so many areas of stonemasonry, no two projects are ever truly alike. That variety is the beauty of the job. It keeps you thinking, learning, and passionate.

Last winter was spent on a single project. Two large, sweeping Cornish hedges flanking a new driveway. The work involved cutting trenches into compacted farm track, placing heavy slate boulders into the footings, sifting through over 100 tonnes of stone, and shovelling nearly 50 tonnes of soil into the centre of the walls for compaction. This winter couldn’t be more different. I’m now working at a grand Georgian manor house, one of the most picturesque settings I’ve worked in. The project is a bespoke granite and slate sphere for the garden. This will be the centerpiece outside the newly built orangery.  While I love all aspects of stonemasonry, jobs like this are the ones where you really invest yourself fully and really push your craft for perfection.

How integral are materials to your day-to-day?  

Materials are the most integral part of my work. Without stone, and the right stone, I simply don’t exist. Every job revolves around it, and each project demands something different. Stone is never just a material,  it defines the finished work.

Some work involves repair or conservation, where matching existing stonework is essential. That means finding not just the right type of stone, but the right colour, size, and character. People often assume slate is slate or granite is granite, but in Cornwall that couldn’t be further from the truth. I have five slate quarries near where I live, all within a few miles of each other, yet each produces a distinctly different slate.

Because my day-to-day job is laying stone, there’s never a moment when I’m not handling it or thinking about it. Over time, you develop an instinctive understanding of how a stone behaves. Whether it’s soft or hard, how it reacts to a hammer or chisel, whether it needs a gentle touch or a firmer hand. That knowledge becomes second nature. You don’t stop to overthink, your eye reads the wall, your hand selects the stone, and a few taps later, it fits snugly into place. It’s instinct.

What are the biggest lessons you have taken forward from your original training? 

I don’t have any formal training in stonemasonry, and if I’m honest, it was never something I planned to do. I vividly remember telling my parents as a child, “I don’t want to be a builder like Dad,” purely because I didn’t want to get up early for work, which probably explains why I still try to ignore my alarm clock.

I set out to become a fine-dining chef and did exactly that, working as a pastry chef in two high-end restaurants. But around fifteen years ago, I fell out of love with the industry. I ended up doing the very thing I’d sworn I never would, working alongside my dad in building. 

He’s a skilled stonemason and a real lover of the craft, so there were plenty of jobs where I laboured while he worked the stone. That’s where my real education began. Whenever I wasn’t mixing mortar or shifting stone, I was watching, learning, and absorbing. Stonework immediately caught my attention; it was creative, physical, and permanent, something that would stand for generations.

I started trying to anticipate which stones my dad would need next and handed them to him, quietly proud of my choices, even if he never used them. Over time, I was trusted to lay a few stones myself, then whole sections, and eventually an entire wall on my own. From there, the work grew until I found myself responsible for all the stonework on a multi-million-pound new build. After that, the decision was clear. Stonework was what I wanted to do. From then on, I focused solely on the craft. Studying different styles, techniques, and materials wherever I could and learning by doing.

Which project/s are you most proud of being involved with and why?

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever worked on was helping my dad rebuild a listed threshing barn.

The brief was uncompromising. The barn had to be rebuilt using traditional materials and methods throughout. That meant constructing two-foot-wide solid stone walls with the original stone, laid in lime putty, just as they would have been two centuries ago. 

Having the opportunity to build something in this way was extraordinary. I’ve worked with lime before, but this was different. We weren’t repairing or adapting an old structure, we were rebuilding a 200-year-old barn from the ground up. 

Projects like that are incredibly rare now, largely because modern materials and methods have replaced traditional building practices. To be trusted with work of that importance and to experience firsthand how buildings were once constructed to last for generations was something special. It’s the kind of job I doubt I’ll ever have the chance to do again, and one that has stayed with me ever since.

What do you feel are the main challenges facing the stone and surfaces industry today?

There is one issue above all others that I believe is doing real damage to my trade. Stonework is being carried out by people with no training, no understanding of the material, and no passion for the craft. It’s driven largely by the demand for work to be done as quickly and cheaply as possible, and in my view, it’s slowly eroding the foundations of stonemasonry.

I see it almost daily; walls built using incorrect techniques, poorly proportioned, structurally unsound, and visually disappointing. More often than not, jobs I price end up going to the cheapest quote. I then drive past once the work is finished and see the result, stonework that simply doesn’t work, either practically or aesthetically. It’s frustrating, especially when there is so much stonework being done, yet so little of it being laid by knowledgeable stonemasons. If this continues, this ancient craft risks being lost altogether, which would be a real shame.

There are also far fewer working quarries now than there once were. Historically, most estates, manor houses, and even farms had their own small quarries, drawing material directly from the land. Today, sourcing stone takes far more care, knowledge, and attention.

In your opinion, what are the positives of using stone in the built environment?  

Using stone in the built environment is deeply important to me. It is about holding on to our heritage. England has been built with stone from the very beginning. Our greatest and most beautiful buildings are made of it, and they stand as proof of what was achieved in architecture and engineering long before modern materials took over. From Bath Abbey and York Minster to Rievaulx Abbey, Hadrian’s Wall, and the Roman Baths, the list is endless. From great cathedrals to simple clapper bridges on the moors, stone runs through the fabric of the country. Stone is England, and England is stone.

While I am not building cathedrals or churches, I believe the work I do as a stonemason still matters. I am proud to play my part in keeping the craft alive. Without passionate stonemasons carrying this tradition forward, we risk ending up in a truly concrete jungle, with the closest substitute for stone being a painted tile made to imitate it.

How does sustainability influence your decision-making?

Because stone is always my primary material, the question of sustainability is fairly straightforward. Stone is the epitome of sustainability; it’s a natural product gifted by the earth. As it does need to be quarried and transported, that impact must be considered, but any human-made material requires far more processing, energy, and resources than stone ever will. For that reason, it remains the best option in my book.

There are, however, key considerations I always take into account when working with it. Location is one of the most important. I aim to source stone as close as possible to where it will be used, which reduces transport distances and ensures the finished work sits naturally within its surroundings. There’s little point in building a wall from dark, heavy slate in an area where the local stone is a lighter brown slate; it simply won’t belong.

The quality of the quarry is equally crucial. Choosing the right source ensures a consistent, reliable material, which reduces waste, unnecessary transport, and the removal of rejected stone. High-quality stone also allows you to produce high-quality work - something that shows not just on the day it’s built, but decades into the future. And if it does fail, it can be repaired using more stone rather than replaced entirely.

Built almost entirely from locally quarried Lewisian Gneiss, Caochan na Creige rises directly from the rocky outcrop on which it sits, overlooking the Minch towards Skye. Here, stone is not applied as cladding or surface treatment; it is the defining fabric of the building.

The remote, self-built stone house on the Isle of Harris has been designed and built by Edinburgh-based practice Izat Arundell, and was named RIBA House of the Year 2025 just before the festive break. An early Christmas present perhaps, but this project has been a labour of love that’s been years in the making.

The house is the first new-build home on Harris for the practice, and also the private residence of the its founders, Eilidh Izat and Jack Arundell. Alongside their architecture studio, the couple also run the Edinburgh-based holiday let Porteous Studio and Scottish cider company Linn, but this project represents a particularly personal undertaking, and one fraught with obstacles. The house was entirely self-built by Jack Arundell, along with Eilidh’s brother, Alasdair Izat, a furniture maker, and their friend Dan Macaulay, a stonemason. Construction began in January 2022 and took 18 months to complete, during which the team endured nine named storms, working through some of the most challenging conditions the Hebrides can offer.

Placing vernacular stone construction firmly at the centre of contemporary architectural discourse, the project is notable not only for its architectural acclaim but also for the way stone is used as both structure and narrative. The Lewisian Gneiss used for the walls was sourced from a quarry less than five miles from the site, ensuring geological continuity between building and ground. Coupled with the team's tangible connection to the site and the building brings a sense of belonging.

The house’s form is deliberately sculptural, shaped to respond to both the extreme climate and the expansive views. Perched above sea level, it is oriented to capture panoramic vistas while offering shelter from Atlantic winds. This balance of exposure and protection is a recurring theme in island architecture, and one Izat Arundell reinterprets through carefully angled walls and openings. Stonework is robust yet precise, with careful attention paid to coursing, junctions and openings. 

The stone’s varied colour and texture give the elevations a geological depth that changes constantly with Hebridean light and weather. A concrete parapet with exposed Lewisian Gneiss aggregate caps the walls, subtly echoing the masonry below while introducing a crisp contemporary line at roof level. Hardwood windows are deeply set within the stone, reinforcing the thickness and solidity of the walls. The result is a building that feels crafted rather than assembled, reinforcing the idea that contemporary architecture and traditional stone skills are not mutually exclusive.

Inside, the influence of Harris’s vernacular black houses is apparent. Rather than rigid rectilinear rooms, the plan is defined by soft angles that guide movement through the house. Spaces flow into one another while remaining distinct, creating a sequence that feels both intimate and expansive. Black houses aren’t orthogonal, instead shaped by hand, by weather, and by use, and that softness shines through via modern construction methods.

Caochan na Creige offers a powerful reminder of what locally sourced stone, skilled craftsmanship and architectural ambition can achieve together. Its recognition as RIBA House of the Year 2025 not only celebrates Izat Arundell’s work, but also elevates stone construction as a sustainable, expressive and future-facing building method.

Image Credits: Richard Gaston & Jack Arundell

Often described locally as “Brighton’s Cathedral”, St Peter’s Church is one of the city’s most recognisable historic buildings. But as any local will testify, decades of exposure to the harsh coastal environment had left the building in a precarious condition, prompting the need for a comprehensive conservation strategy.

A 15-year programme of conservation work has secured the future of this eminent piece of architecture, following the completion of extensive stone, roof and structural repairs led by DBR (Southern) Ltd.

The Grade II listed church occupies a prominent position in the city, and has long been a focal point for both worship and community life. Originally built after a competition in 1824 to provide a new chapel in the Steine area, St Peter’s became Brighton’s Parish Church in 1873. DBR, a specialist contractor in historic building conservation and a recent recipient of a Royal Warrant from the King, was appointed as Principal Contractor, overseeing and delivering the multi-phased restoration programme.

When work began, the priority was to stabilise the church’s rapidly deteriorating fabric. Extensive stone erosion, failing iron cramps and water ingress from deteriorated roof coverings had combined to create serious structural risks. Its coastal proximity had accelerated corrosion and stone decay, while leaking roofs threatened internal fabric and structural integrity. Addressing these issues was critical not only to preserve the building itself but to ensure the church could continue to operate safely as a public and community space. 

Early phases focused on urgent roof and structural repairs. The aisle roofs and mid-tier tower roofs were replaced in pressed zinc, incorporating modern insulation and new access hatches. Within the building, the nave roof structure was significantly strengthened using specially designed steel plates to ensure it could safely carry required loads.

Attention then turned to the church’s Portland stone façade, which demanded extensive masonry conservation. Cement-based mortars, previously used in repairs and found to be accelerating decay, were carefully removed. The building was then repointed throughout using traditional lime mortar, allowing the stonework to breathe and perform as intended.

DBR’s masons also repaired numerous fractures, removed heavy accumulations of soot and stone scale, and undertook detailed on-site templating and carving to replace damaged Gothic Revival details. Such work requires a high level of craftsmanship to accurately replicate historic profiles while integrating new stone seamlessly with existing fabric. But with the scaffolding now removed, St Peter’s Church has re-emerged as a restored, elegant presence on Brighton’s streetscape. 

The scale and complexity of the work required a carefully managed programme, phased over 15 years to align with successive rounds of Lottery funding. DBR coordinated and carried out the works using its in-house team of specialist craftspeople, including stonemasons, stone cleaners and metal roofers.

Reflecting on the project, Adrian Attwood ACR, Executive Director and Chairman of DBR, said: “After 15 years of working on St. Peter's Church, it is fantastic to see the scaffold finally coming down. It reveals the incredible hard work and skill of the DBR Southern team and gives this wonderful façade back to my hometown of Brighton. We are honoured to have played our part in securing the future of this remarkable building.”

The conservation works have halted long-term decay, stabilised the structure and reinstated the architectural character of one of the city’s most important historic buildings.

As Adam Draper, founder of Draper Studio, points out, all conversations start with a hello. 

As an architect who specialises in residential projects with problematic restrictions, his warm and welcoming approach is well-suited. Having started his career with Groupwork, where he completed his qualification, he has since worked for Stein Architects and then Architecture for London, before setting up his own studio in 2019. Having met him at the recent Stone Collective book launch, I was keen to find out more about the practice, and what homeowners can expect when engaging with the studio.

 JB: I’m intrigued to hear more about your process, not least in how you build close working relationships with your clients, who are generally the direct owners of the property in question.

AD: Clients usually make the first approach by phone. We discuss the project aspirations, their concerns, their budget and what working with an architect looks like - for many this is their first time commission, but sometimes clients come having wished they’d used one before. 

For a fee, I then conduct a design session at the property, to meet and go through some initial ideas, clarify specific legal frameworks and develop each others’ understanding of the project ahead. It’s often helpful for the client to witness live layout and perspective sketches to illustrate our discussion as it builds clarity quickly. This is followed up with formalised sketch layouts of what we discussed and a fee proposal for the services, timescales and next steps.

Image Credit: Peter Molloy

JB: Do you find there are commonalities between the types of people who approach you?

AD: The clients who commission Draper Studio’s projects do so because they have a challenging consent or series of spatial configurations to overcome. They have a desire for more than “just” a rear extension and want to pursue something that is architecturally led. Working with an architect who specialises in homes means they feel reassured that their home alterations are being guided through all the challenges, yet insulated from the pitfalls and the outcome. Often, what they and their loved ones like is that they would have been unable to conceive it themselves.

JB: Thankfully, conversations - and actions - around retrofit appear to be on the rise, and I know it’s a priority for the studio. What drives your thinking here, and how receptive are your clients to the idea of restoring rather than removing?

AD: Of all refurbishment work activities, whether reconfiguring, remodelling, extending or refinishing, restoration is something that can strike up much debate. I don’t offer any position, but I approach things with this mindset:

Restoring building components is an easily understood example - it’s the leaky sash window in a conservation area with Article 4 restrictions. 

It has a linear outcome: problem + resolution = cost + time. This is level 1 restoration. But restoration is not slavery to an idea. Neither should restoration be a cost burden - remember, all buildings are costly. Value, its cousin, when seen in its many forms, is scalar here. 

Image Credit: Peter Molloy

With this in mind, we begin to move towards Level 2:

At an architectural level, restoration presents a bigger opportunity. Restoration is rarely just about the faithful replication of a cornice that's been overpainted 4 times. Restoration is more about the stitching together of the series of interrelated and sequential elements, spatially. Level 2 asks these questions: How do we work with the building, as opposed to against it? By extension, how do we highlight any special characteristics of the host building in a design that makes it distinct? Can we realise volume as well as area? How do we investigate carefully and put the right strategy in place to mitigate excess or the unnecessary? If we add or remove, does it restore, too? Does the overall cohere? If it does, is that a success?

JB: Hearing this, I imagine there is a lot of push and pull within these conversations, as well as with the physical building itself?

AD: Often by adopting the approach of working with a building, rather than against it, will provide significant cost and value benefits. In terms of Retrofit, when adopting ‘fabric first principles’ such as adding appropriate insulation, this requires an onward conversation with the client’s needs and budget throughout key project milestones. Often, that same overpainted cornice, kept in situ, will restrict the extensive thermal performance upgrades to a wall they might want. There’s balance, and often on a case-by-case basis;, it's always good to have a clear brief from the client on where they want to take remediation works. For instance, if your original plaster is blown, it may be time to consider replacing it with lime plaster and wood fibre insulation, because you’ll likely have to budget for at least one of those trade installs.

Image Credit: Richard Oxford

JB: Would you say it’s true that part of your USP comes from your ability to handle potentially problematic concerns, such as listed buildings, planning applications and properties in conservation areas?

AD: Yes, I’ve always enjoyed working on tricky projects where a problem provokes an innovative response. Sometimes, a degree of constraint enables innovation, and if you arrive at an elegant solution whilst doing so, it is always a treat for the clients to spot that too and trust in the design.  

At Nunhead Cemetery house it was a little easier on two fronts to propose an ambitious design. Firstly, although the terraced house fronted onto the Conservation Area, it was actually on it. Secondly, the clients were repeat clients. We’d already worked closely before on their first house nearby. On this site, the rear garden sloped away from the house and across the house in the area of the side return, where they wanted both a ground rear side extension and a courtyard. This made it challenging to create a consistent and generous volume to the rear and side extension when considering the boundary height. By positioning the lowest point of the arch on the boundary at a height acceptable to the planners, the internal volume wanted was achieved without harming the neighbour’s daylight. This same curved corner detail is echoed in the second-floor outrigger roof extension, which allowed more light into the courtyard.

Image Credit: Richard Oxford

JB: Those arches really soften the building too, but I can’t even begin to figure out how you got to those beautiful - and functional - proportions!

AD: The arch of the side return was arrived at first, from outrigger flank wall to boundary, and then this diameter was multiplied by the golden ratio to form the arch diameter of the adjacent rear extension, giving proportion and rhythm to the new rear. To shield the glazed doors from the south sun and provide an awning to the rear garden, there were key engineering and roofing challenges. The result was two cantilevered arched awnings that do not touch - making them appear lightweight and elegant.

JB: I’m always intrigued to discover how involved architects are during the construction stages of a project. What is your role during this post-design phase of a project?

AD: Peckham House always had a trusting and ambitious client who understood that getting the best value from an architectural service was for Draper Studio to have oversight of the three core stages:  1. Planning, 2. Technical Design and 3. Construction. On site we’d already anticipated extensive digging of the shared underground drainage, which became the reason for the split-level kitchen and diner. The client was delighted about the 3.4m high ceiling that this created, but retained us to work through options for the 3.6m high sliding rear door even whilst on site. We originally specified and tendered aluminium frame versions as a package, but due to fluctuating costs and finally the frame being deemed too large for them to warranty, we pivoted towards kiln-dried Douglas fir from the timber frame supplier. On this project, architectural fees were time-charged throughout, and this gave the client the flexibility to draw down on their budget as architectural input was required, even throughout the construction phase, where overall it averaged out to fortnightly site visits over a 12-month build.

JB: There is a sensitive approach to materiality in all of your projects, with a particular emphasis on naturally sourced surfaces. Can you tell me a little more about how you create and source your material palettes?

AD: There’s a rational and mannered feel to certain projects, and with other projects, an opportunity for more play. Sometimes there’s a blend, and in both Wandsworth and Hackney house there's both reason and story.

Wandsworth House has a number of practical challenges: clear span 12m x 6m of rear extension flat roof without it looking top-heavy. The roof structure is to appear lightweight and strong enough to support a 1st floor family bathroom pod and allow the sliding doors to sail behind the supporting timber posts that correlate in a grid aligned with the main house openings. The glazing is not flat, but incrementally steps inwards towards the door openings, providing a sheltered space when the door is opened, and harnesses the filigree of timber posts to screen direct daylight and reflect back the passing train noise. There was little other option than to use joinery grade, kiln-dried French oak. A matching rift cut, oak-veneered ply deck performed both the structural warm deck and the internal ceiling finish.

The overall structure was so efficient and lightweight that it meant the whole extension's foundations could sit atop 28 steel piles, saving an estimated 70% of volumetric concrete that otherwise would have been needed to structurally span this extension’s roof in steel.

Image Credit: Peter Molloy

JB: I couldn’t help but notice the stone bricks used on the Hackney project - and they’ve not been laid in the conventional manner.

AD: At Hackney the client wanted an extension that was just as much about extending the garden as it was about extending the house. The brick basketweave pattern was arrived at following a desire for a more playful treatment of the facade, akin to how garden boundary walls are treated - with perforations and single skin patterns. The Client also wanted the new space of a kitchen and dining room to make the communal parts of the house better cohere but also didn’t just want a brick box. 

Image Credit: Peter Molloy

Underneath the “rain skin” of brick is a searing yellow render that is picked out by the sun when it tracks onto its south westerly aspect. Its a nod to how a smart jacket can have the discreet flair of a flashy lining. The creation of the basket weave pattern in a single skin requires a degree of precision and tolerance. Add into the mix the mortar is NHL3.5 Lime, we also needed patience as the wall rose up 4 courses per day! It did so however, in this clean and precise manner because the bricks are precision cut. Some of the saw marks and inclusions to the otherwise light yellow limestone are left on show as a further highlight of the maker’s marks - be that the stone cutters or geology.

We recently reported on the Design Museum’s Tools for Transition exhibition, which explores how design innovation is helping to move the UK to a greener future. One of the four projects that make up the showing reinterprets one of the most traditional elements of the British home, the chimney, with a fresh approach to applying stone.

Historically a source of heat, Studio Saqqra’s proposal for the chimney, Hearth, reimagines it as a natural ventilation system, marking a symbolic and practical shift from heating to cooling in response to rising global temperatures. Their architectural model draws on materials developed through the Transforming Houses and Homes research programme, which is exploring sustainable retrofit solutions for 1920s council housing across the UK.

Image Credit: James Retief

Using a regional material palette, the project combines reclaimed stone with bio-based hemp and wood fibres to demonstrate how traditional and modern materials can work together to improve energy performance. The stone, repurposed from offcuts supplied by Albion Stone, references the architectural character and craftsmanship of early 20th-century housing, while the bio-based insulation materials provide enhanced thermal and moisture regulation.

The primary elements of the model, consisting of chimney, roof and facade, are each sourced from a different bed within the geological strata of the same stone. Deeper beds with more resilient stone are used to fulfil a structural purpose, while beds closer to the top and to recent history in geological time inform the construction of a lightweight roof and skin. The stepped expression of the facade makes use of an overlap detail that references traditional render drop details, translated to stone and at once protecting the fragile edges of this delicate stone.

The reimagined chimney showcases the role of passive stack ventilation, using natural air movement through vertical ducts to improve indoor air quality, working in tandem with insulated cavity walls and eaves to maintain comfortable interior temperatures. Together, these interventions address long-standing issues of damp, mould, and poor energy efficiency common in older housing stock.

Image Credit: James Retief

Developed through roundtables and co-design workshops with local residents, researchers, and industry professionals, the Transforming Homes initiative focuses on adapting council-built homes from the 1920s to 1940s, particularly in Bristol and Swansea. With over 1.4 million of these homes still occupied across the UK, the research aims to future-proof existing housing stock for changing climates while maintaining their cultural and architectural integrity.

By grounding the design in local supply chains and material reuse, the project demonstrates how regionally sourced stone and bio-based materials can support both sustainability and heritage goals. It’s hoped that their findings will inform national housing policy and influence best practices in retrofit design, from restoring historic homes to setting standards for more sustainable new builds.