A new event is set to launch this September, with the aim of bringing together people from across the natural stone industry for an evening of discussion, networking and shared knowledge.

We Are Stone, founded by Athena Stonecare director Becca Cranfield, will hold its first event on 9th September at Bulthaup Mayfair in London. The free evening event will run from 6–9pm, with attendees able to drop in and stay for as long as they wish. The format is deliberately informal, with open networking, drinks and nibbles rather than presentations, speeches or talks. 

The initiative intends to bring together people from across the stone supply chain, including quarry operators, masons, fixers, fabricators, suppliers, sourcers, installers and restorers. Its premise is that although these roles depend on one another, they do not always have opportunities to meet outside the commercial structures of individual businesses.

The event reflects Becca’s longstanding focus on collaboration and education, which has included a spell as Women in Natural Stone chair as well as helping to create Athena’s Aftercare guide and delivering its CPD programme for designers, suppliers and project teams. “We are creating a space to connect. A regular event hosted solely for the stone industry,” explains Becca. “This is not networking to gain business but to gain personally. It’s not about products but about people.” 

The first event comes against a challenging backdrop for the sector, with We Are Stone positioning itself as a forum for informal support and conversation. The organisers acknowledge that many businesses are facing difficult market conditions, while arguing that the industry's response should include looking after the people working within it.

The event is intended to be open to everyone, regardless of role, experience or location within the industry. Future events are expected to include more focused gatherings for women, business owners and younger members of the sector. 

Rather than competing with existing organisations or trade events, this event is intended to provide an additional, informal space where people can “share ideas, troubleshoot and simply offer a wise word of encouragement, understanding and support,” with plans to make it a regular feature in the industry calendar.

We Are Stone launches on 9 September 2026 at Bulthaup Mayfair, 37 Wigmore Street, London. Attendance is free. 

Specialist stonemasonry contractor Classic Masonry has been appointed to undertake conservation work at 16 Barrington Street, a Grade II listed building in South Shields that will form part of the new South Tyneside College and South Shields Marine School campus.

Built in 1882 as the headquarters of the South Shields Poor Law Union, the late Victorian building is being retained within a new 15,000m² campus on King Street. Castle is the principal contractor for the wider project, with GSS Architecture initially appointing Classic Masonry to inspect and survey the stonework and brickwork of the listed building’s principal elevations.

The survey has led to a programme of repair and replacement work, including replacement stone and indents to band and string courses and hood moulds, repointing deteriorated mortar joints to brickwork and water tables, and steam cleaning of the façade.

The approach reflects Classic Masonry’s established conservation work across the North East. The North Shields-based company has recently completed masonry conservation at a number of historic churches, while its work at Newcastle’s Grade II listed Carliol House involved the retention, repair and reinstatement of a 120m-long Portland stone Art Deco façade and dome as part of a major commercial redevelopment.

Mike Moody, managing director of Classic Masonry, says the Barrington Street work requires the various elements of the façade to be considered together.

“It is vital that the repair and replacement of stonework is conducted in a holistic manner to ensure that such interventions will neither undermine the existing structure, nor undermine other necessary interventions.”

He describes the façade as “a very impressive example of articulated late Victorian architecture”, highlighting its doorway by J H Morton, who was also responsible for several other buildings in the locality, including Barclay’s Bank on King Street and extensions to the Old Customs House.

Classic Masonry, established in 1991, combines new-build masonry and architectural precast concrete with restoration and conservation, including stone sourcing, cutting, profiling, carving, cleaning and façade consolidation. Its recent conservation work has also included Cosin’s Almshouses and the Pemberton Building at Palace Green in Durham, where the emphasis was on repairing historic stone façades and retaining existing material.

Chris Meadowcroft, operations director at Castle, says the listed building represents an important part of South Shields’ industrial history.

“While the build of a new campus in the middle of South Shields is the showpiece of this transformational project, 16 Barrington Street is very much representative of the borough’s proud industrial past and, as such, it is important we protect and enhance the façade of the building.”

The restoration will retain the historic building as part of the college’s new campus, combining its existing architectural fabric with the wider regeneration of South Shields town centre.

Berkeley Place has completed the restoration of Bloomfield House, a Grade II listed Georgian mansion on the southern slopes of Bath, bringing together careful conservation of the 18th-century property with contemporary interventions.

Designed in the 1790s and reputedly attributed to architect Thomas Baldwin, the house was once home to the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Bath. The 18-month project focused on retaining and reinstating its historic character while adapting the property for contemporary use.

Original architectural details, including ornate cornicing, mouldings and stonework, were carefully restored. Five historically blocked-up windows were also uncovered, their decorative painted treatments reinstated. The windows had been blocked following the introduction of Window Tax in 1696, a period detail that provides an insight into the building's history and the changing relationship between architecture and legislation.

Elsewhere, Berkeley Place commissioned a new bespoke staircase connecting the ground and lower-ground floors, replicating the Georgian character of the original. A Tom Howley kitchen was introduced within the restored interiors, while the grounds were comprehensively landscaped to strengthen the relationship between the house and its setting.

The project demonstrates the particular balance required when working with listed buildings: retaining the material and architectural qualities that give a property its character while introducing new elements that allow it to function as a contemporary home.

Nick Cryer, founder and managing director of Berkeley Place, says: “We are incredibly proud to have been part of this prestigious restoration. Our client’s vision, passion for quality, and appreciation for contemporary design made this an exciting and fulfilling collaboration.”

At Bloomfield House, restoration is therefore less about recreating a historic interior than understanding and retaining the existing fabric while making considered additions. The result is a Georgian property adapted for present-day life without losing the architectural details and craftsmanship that define its character.

For architects and designers, working on your own space can be a trepidatious prospect. But for its new headquarters at Printing House Yard in Shoreditch, Studio McW has applied the residential design principles that have shaped its work over the past decade to an 80m² workplace. The resulting office uses natural materials, bespoke joinery and lightweight interventions to create a space designed around how the practice actually works.

Completed in October 2025, the project marks the studio’s tenth year in practice and provides a permanent base for a team of up to ten. Rather than treating the workplace as a conventional corporate interior, Studio McW approached it as it would a home, considering daily routines, comfort, collaboration and moments of quiet alongside the practical requirements of a working studio.

The former industrial complex benefits from triple-aspect windows, which became an important organising element. A central band of desks takes advantage of the available daylight and views, while the unified arrangement supports the collaborative nature of the practice. Around this, a broken-plan sequence accommodates the main office, breakout area, meeting room, kitchen and shower facilities within the compact footprint.

Material selection is similarly rooted in the studio’s residential work. Oak and cork provide a tactile base, complemented by stainless steel, ceramic tiles and recycled powder-coated metal. Second-hand hemp blocks, retained from an earlier Studio McW project, have been repurposed as shelving, while leftover timber has been used for window sills and additional desks.

A continuous wall of bespoke oak cabinetry forms the principal architectural intervention. Made by long-term collaborator Idle Furniture using both solid oak panels and oak veneer, the joinery provides storage while subtly dividing the office into different zones. It also demonstrates different timber and joinery finishes used by the practice, allowing clients to experience the materials directly. The intervention is deliberately light-touch, appropriate to the restrictions of a leasehold space.

Curtains provide another layer of flexibility. Mounted on demountable ceiling runners, floor-length curtains soften the interior and help control acoustics without introducing permanent partitions. A curtain at the rear can close off the meeting and breakout space when required, while another provides privacy around the kitchen and bathrooms. Their colour references the warm grey of the existing industrial iron beams and columns.

The detailing continues the balance between robust and domestic materials. A reclaimed plywood meeting-table top sits on steel legs, while vintage furniture and task lighting sit alongside bespoke elements. The kitchen and associated surfaces introduce further ceramic and metal finishes, while Huguet tiles and Corston fittings contribute to the material palette.

Outside, a steel sign by Manchester-based designer and Studio McW collaborator Corbin Wood marks the practice’s new home. Left untreated, the steel is intended to develop a natural patina over time.

The completed studio also operates as a working material catalogue. Clients can see and handle the timber, tiles, joinery and other finishes in use rather than encountering them only as samples. For Studio McW, this relationship between material specification and everyday experience is central to the project.

“We wanted the studio to be both an enjoyable and functional place to work and a tangible extension of our portfolio,” says Greg Walton, director at Studio McW. “Every project emerges from close collaboration, so as we mature as a practice, it’s become really important to be able to bring clients into our space.”

The result is a workplace that demonstrates how relatively modest interventions, carefully selected materials and residential-scale detailing can alter the character and usability of a commercial interior.

Although rich in uses, finishes and applications, stone and metal are primordially from the same source: the earth. Rocks of Desire, by designer Pepe Valenti, brings together natural stone and metal in a series of lighting pieces inspired by the rocky coastline of the Costa Brava. The collection uses the contrasting properties of the two materials to explore ideas of permanence, movement and transformation.

Stone provides the starting point for each piece, retaining its natural irregularity, weight and texture. Around it, metal lampheads are formed to follow the contours of the rock, creating a relationship that recalls the movement of water around stones along the coast. Rather than regularising the stone, the metal responds to its individual form.

The process was developed intuitively, with the same tools used across both metal and stone. This gives the collection a degree of material continuity while allowing the characteristics of each medium to remain visible. The stone is solid and tactile, while the metal introduces a lighter, more adaptable element that appears to bend and gather around it.

The resulting forms sit between lighting and material studies. Their construction is relatively simple, placing emphasis on the meeting of the two materials and on the way light interacts with the surface of the rock. Illumination draws attention to the stone while reinforcing the contrast between its mass and the finer metal components.

The Costa Brava is an important reference for the collection. Its rough coastline and the continual action of the sea provide a natural example of how apparently permanent materials can be gradually transformed. Water wears away stone over time, while the rocks themselves shape the movement of the water around them. Valenti translates this reciprocal relationship into objects in which neither material is entirely dominant.

This emphasis on gradual change also informs the collection's broader approach. In contrast to the immediacy associated with much contemporary product design, Rocks of Desire considers time as part of the material process. The individual character of each stone means that variation is retained rather than concealed, making each object a record of the material from which it was made.

The result is a collection that uses stone not simply as a structural or decorative component, but as the defining element around which the lighting is developed. Metal, meanwhile, becomes a means of framing, responding to and illuminating the rock.

For Valenti, the pieces reflect the way natural forces can alter solid materials over time. In the finished objects, that process is compressed into a more immediate encounter: stone holds its ground while metal appears to move around it, creating a restrained dialogue between permanence and change.

London architecture practice Inglis Badrashi Loddo (IBLA) has completed Walled Courtyard, a discreet single-storey home inserted within a former walled garden behind a Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse in Kennington. Built on a constrained infill site, the 64m² house demonstrates the practice's approach to working within historic urban settings, using material continuity and careful spatial planning to create contemporary architecture that responds to its inherited context.

Founded on a belief that new buildings should complement rather than compete with existing places, IBLA frequently works with historic buildings, brownfield sites and sensitive urban locations. At Walled Courtyard, that philosophy is reflected in a scheme that reinterprets the site's former garden enclosure while accommodating modern living within a compact footprint.

Located on Cleaver Square, one of London's earliest planned residential squares dating from 1789, the site had served successively as a walled garden and later a car park. Planning requirements stipulated that the historic garden wall be reinstated without external windows, ensuring the new house would read as a continuous perimeter wall from the street. Rather than treating this as a limitation, the architects used it to shape the design, creating an inward-looking home organised around two courtyards.

Entry is through a small forecourt enclosed by a reconstructed brick wall built from a combination of reclaimed and new bricks. Beyond, the house unfolds around a central planted courtyard that draws daylight deep into the plan while establishing long views through the building. The arrangement allows the two-bedroom home to feel considerably larger than its modest footprint, with each room connected visually to both the garden and adjacent spaces.

Materiality is central to the project and reinforces its relationship with the site's history. Reclaimed London mixed-stock brick laid in lime mortar references the former garden walls that once enclosed the plot. Around the exterior, the brickwork remains untreated, allowing the new construction to sit comfortably alongside the historic fabric. Within the courtyard, however, the character subtly changes. Lime-washed brickwork with thick flush mortar joints creates a quieter, more monolithic backdrop, complemented by grey porcelain flooring, exposed softwood roof joists and carefully detailed brick soldier courses.

The masonry is used not simply as an external skin but as an organising architectural element. Deeply recessed lintels and thick brick reveals emphasise thresholds throughout the house, lending weight and permanence to the compact interiors while framing carefully considered views between rooms and courtyards.

Elsewhere, bespoke joinery helps maximise the efficiency of the plan. A custom plywood kitchen sits at the heart of the house, while integrated storage, including a concealed services cupboard behind a movable shelving unit, allows every part of the building to perform multiple functions. At one end of the plan, a curved bathroom follows the line of the site boundary beneath a circular rooflight, responding directly to the geometry of the enclosing wall.

Environmental performance has been integrated without compromising the building's restrained appearance. An air source heat pump is concealed within the entrance courtyard, while underfloor heating, high levels of insulation and a sedum roof reduce operational energy demand. The planted roof also restores the impression of a garden when viewed from neighbouring buildings, recalling the site's earlier landscape.

Jamal Badrashi, director at IBLA, says: "Walled Courtyard is a project about creating richness within constraint. The site is extremely compact, but by thoughtfully choreographing natural light and framing views, we were able to create a home that feels generous and unexpectedly expansive.

"The memory of the original walled garden informed every aspect of the scheme – from the inward-looking arrangement of rooms to the material palette of reclaimed brick and lime mortar. Rather than inserting something overtly contrasting into the historic setting, we wanted the house to feel rooted in its context, as though it had quietly always belonged there."

As architecture continues its shift towards digital workflows, materials are increasingly encountered on screen long before they arrive on site. Yet translating the complexity of stone, timber, ceramics and other surfaces into accurate digital resources remains a significant challenge. Glasgow-based platform Architextures was established to bridge that gap, combining a growing library of real-world materials with tools that help architects and designers create more accurate drawings, visualisations and specifications. In this edition of Surface Perspectives, founder Ryan Canning discusses the importance of understanding the stories behind materials, the role of digital tools in specification, and why natural stone still has much to offer contemporary architecture.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I live close to our studio so every morning starts with a 10-minute bike ride which is enjoyable as long as the rain stays off! In the office, we start each day with a stand-up meeting with the development team, where we talk about what we did yesterday and what we're working on today. After that, it is a varied mix of things. Some days I may need to concentrate on the more monotonous admin tasks involved in running the business, while on others I'm back to coding or working on mockups for new features.

We're lucky that much of the work we do is self-directed so we can be flexible around deadlines. That also means in some cases what we do on a daily basis can be quite reactive to other factors, for example if we encounter bugs or user feedback that we think is important to prioritise.

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

Materials are at the centre of everything we do. When I first started building the site in 2019, the main aim was to build a practical tool to make it quick and easy to customise materials for 3D models and drawings. The secondary goal was to build a well organised library around the editor tool, that communicates detailed visual and technical information about the materials to our users. We now have a wide range of materials on the platform, over 8,000 individual listings, ranging from bland acoustic ceiling tiles to incredible Andesite Porphyry.

Although our output is digital, the images on the site come from real materials. We spend a lot of time sourcing the materials, sometimes receiving them to our studio and occasionally travelling to quarries, yards or warehouses to take photos on site. It's important for us that we see and understand the real materials behind the images and we think it's an important consideration for our audience too, who work on projects that will eventually be built.

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

Although I studied architecture and I'm now running a software company, my original training was a very good foundation for what I'm doing now. Much of the teaching in architectural education and practice concentrates on problem-solving, and is also very wide-ranging in skills that are transferable to building a business. In particular, design, marketing and communication.

An important lesson I learned while studying is to spend more time in the early stages of design or development building prototypes than researching and planning potential solutions and trying to extrapolate from that. I find that producing a draft of your idea and iterating on it helps solve designs issues faster and also gives you something tangible to help drive projects forward.

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

It has to be Architextures! It started off as a side project and grew gradually to become a fully fledged company with users from all over the world. Since we launched the editor, we've had continuous feedback from architects and designers which really helped me to understand the wider appeal and the opportunity to build something bigger than originally planned. In that same regard, the work we now do with manufacturers to digitise their materials has also been rewarding. Traditionally it has been very difficult to do but can now be done quickly and brings value to both the manufacturers and architects who want to use their materials in their drawings.

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

For stone I believe there are a lot of misconceptions around cost, as well as how it can be used structurally due to the fact it has not been widely used in that way for a long period in the UK. For general surfaces and construction materials as a whole, I think there is often a knowledge gap between designers seeing a sample and specifying the material, and understanding the story behind how it has been sourced and manufactured. Understanding that story helps inform the choices designers make and can lead to better outcomes for sustainability and efficiency but also the design itself.

Although we provide information about the materials on our platform, we recognised that there was an opportunity for a richer format where we could have in depth writing with image and video footage to help show how they come to be. This led to the creation of Stories, our online magazine where we write about architecture projects from the point of view of their materiality.

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

It's a natural material that doesn't require complex manufacturing processes with lots of ingredients. That has knock on effects for the amount of energy required and has benefits for human health when the need for synthetic materials is reduced. When used structurally, it reduces the need for other carbon-intensive materials like steel primary structure as well as support systems for cladding if the stone is also used as the finish. Finally, it looks great!

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

There are three main sustainability considerations for us as a business. The first is how we actually build the software. The internet is now a huge contributor to global emissions and people are becoming more aware of this. We serve 4 million downloads per month so it's important we make the files as efficient as possible. When developing, we spend a lot of time thinking about how we can optimise the page size and reduce the impact for users and their energy use.

Next is the availability of sustainability data on the platform. At present, manufacturers can populate each of their listings with any data they want to provide but there's no requirement for manufacturers to add sustainability data specifically. Our aim is to make sustainability data available for all materials on the site from sources like EPDs or estimates based on the category where those are not provided. The next step is to then allow designers to filter search results based on that data to help make specification decisions.

The final way is how we operate logistically. We promote green forms of transport as much as possible like cycling to work. When we do events abroad, we take the train as much as possible. We've previously travelled by train from our studio in Glasgow to events in the Netherlands and as far as Denmark. 

As we continue to report, designers are increasingly exploring circular approaches to material use and attention is shifting beyond recycling towards the overlooked byproducts of construction itself. Japanese architecture and design practice AtMa approaches this question through SUR+PLUS, a stone-led furniture system that reconsiders surplus materials not as waste, but as resources capable of forming new objects while retaining their individual histories.

Founded in Tokyo, AtMa works across architecture, interiors and product design, with a practice centred on the relationship between materials, making and spatial experience. Rather than pursuing uniformity, its projects often examine how existing materials and construction systems can be adapted to generate new forms and uses.

SUR+PLUS addresses a familiar consequence of interior fit-out and construction. Ordering materials with an additional margin has long been standard practice, allowing for breakages, design changes and installation tolerances. The result is an inevitable accumulation of unused stone, timber, tiles and other finishes that often remain without a purpose despite retaining their material value.

Rather than reprocessing these remnants, AtMa proposes a system that accepts them in their existing condition. Offcuts of stone, timber, ceramic tile and carpet are inserted together into specially designed joint components, allowing them to become the structural elements of chairs without cutting or reshaping new material. Seats, backs and legs emerge from fragments of differing thicknesses, textures and dimensions, each preserving the qualities that distinguished it in its previous application.

Stone plays a particularly significant role within the project. Instead of disguising chipped edges, fractured surfaces or natural variation, the system allows these characteristics to remain visible. Pieces of stone that would ordinarily be discarded become load-bearing components, their weight and permanence balanced against lighter materials through a simple assembly method.

The project also rethinks the architectural idea of the joint. Conventionally developed to create precise, uniform construction, joints here perform a different function, accommodating difference rather than eliminating it. Fragments are connected with their imperfections intact, allowing contrasting materials to coexist without being forced into visual consistency.

In doing so, SUR+PLUS shifts the discussion around circular design away from recycling alone and towards the systems that generate excess in the first place. By demonstrating that surplus stone and other architectural materials can retain both structural and aesthetic value without further processing, AtMa offers an alternative model in which material differences become the defining quality of the design rather than a problem to be concealed.

All images © Kenta Hasegawa

As entertaining at home becomes a more important part of how people use their interiors, the home bar is moving from a small add-on to a feature in its own right. Oli Webb, Director at Cullifords, discusses how natural and engineered stone surfaces are helping shape these spaces, from compact drinks stations to dedicated wine rooms.

“Home bars have changed significantly in recent years. They are no longer simply about storing bottles or creating a small drinks area in the corner of a room. Increasingly, they are being designed as part of the wider home, whether that is within a kitchen, dining space, living room, basement or dedicated wine room.

At Cullifords, we are seeing more homeowners and designers treat the bar as a place to introduce stronger materials, richer colour and more individual surfaces. It is a space designed for hosting, so there is often more confidence to use a stone that feels expressive or dramatic.

A kitchen may need to work hard every day and suit the whole household, but a home bar can be a little more atmospheric. That makes it a natural place to use bold veining, darker tones, high-impact splashbacks or full-height stone walls.

One of the reasons stone works so well in a home bar is that the material can be seen from several angles. In a kitchen, the surface is often used horizontally across a worktop or island. In a bar, there are more opportunities to use the slab vertically as well, whether across a bar front, splashback, shelving backdrop or waterfall end.

This allows the natural movement of the stone to become part of the design. A strongly veined marble or quartzite can be book-matched behind shelves, wrapped around an island or used to frame a drinks display. Under low-level lighting, the texture and movement of the surface becomes even more visible, which is why stone works so well in evening entertaining spaces.

Darker stones are particularly effective in home bars. Rich green quartzites, such as Verde Cosmopolitan, introduce depth and colour, especially when paired with materials such as brass, dark timber and warm lighting. Rosso Levanto marble can bring a very different mood, with its deep red tone and pale veining creating a stronger, more dramatic effect.

Breccia Capraia is another good option for bars where the stone needs to be the main feature. Its movement and warmer tones work well across bar fronts and waterfall islands, where the veining can continue from the top surface down the side of the unit. This gives the bar a more complete, built-in look.

For lighter spaces, Calacatta Vagli marble offers a softer alternative. Its white background and grey veining make it suitable for bars that sit within kitchens or open-plan living spaces, where the aim may be to create a feature without making the area feel too dark or separate from the rest of the room.

Then there’s the choice between natural stone and engineered surfaces, which often comes down to how the space will be used and the type of finish the client wants to achieve.

Natural stone is often selected for the individuality it brings. Each slab has its own colour variation, veining and movement, which means the finished bar feels unique. This is particularly appealing in a home bar, where people often want the space to feel personal and less predictable.

Engineered stone can be a strong alternative where consistency is important. It is well suited to larger bar tops, splashbacks and more streamlined schemes where the client wants a cleaner, more uniform appearance. It can also work well when the bar needs to sit quietly within a larger kitchen or living space.

In many cases, the most successful projects use the surface to set the tone. A smaller bar can carry a bold stone very well, because the material is being used in a more concentrated way. A larger bar or wine room may benefit from a quieter surface, particularly if it is being used across several elements.

Wine rooms are also becoming more design-led. Rather than being hidden away, they are increasingly designed as visible spaces within the home, with glass-fronted cabinetry, open shelving, tasting counters and illuminated displays.

Stone works particularly well in this setting because it provides a strong backdrop to glass, bottles, timber and metalwork. Darker marbles and quartzites can create a more intimate feel, while lighter stones can help brighten a compact room or cellar-style space.

A stone backdrop behind shelving, a tasting island or a small serving counter can make the room feel much more complete. It also creates a link between the wine room and other areas of the home, especially where the same or complementary surfaces are used in the kitchen or bar.

The most effective home bars are not always the largest either. A compact drinks station can feel just as successful when the materials are used well. Continuing stone from the worktop onto the splashback, adding a stone shelf or using an offcut for a smaller surface can give the space a more finished appearance.

Lighting is also important. Stone responds very well to warm, directional lighting, particularly where there is veining, texture or movement within the slab. Illuminated shelving, under-counter lighting or a backlit feature wall can all help bring out the character of the material.

There is also an opportunity to be practical with stone selection. A bar top needs to cope with those glasses, bottles, citrus, spills and regular use, so the finish and maintenance requirements should be discussed at the start of the project. Some clients will want a surface that develops character over time, while others may prefer something more uniform and easy to manage.

For us, the appeal of the home bar is that it gives people a place to be more expressive with stone. It does not need to match every other surface in the home. It can introduce contrast, create atmosphere and make entertaining feel more special. 

As more homeowners invest in spaces designed around hosting, the home bar is becoming less about function alone and more about experience. Whether it is a full bar, a wine room or a small drinks area within a kitchen, the right surface can turn a practical space into somewhere people naturally gather.”

In the first article of this Insights series, Giuliana Giorgi explored the growing interest in indigenous stone and the value of reconnecting architecture with local geology, craftsmanship and regional identity. In this second instalment, she turns to one of the industry's most pressing topics: sustainability. Looking beyond embodied carbon alone, Giorgi argues that responsible stone specification depends on a much broader understanding of provenance, durability, maintenance and long-term reuse, questioning whether current methods of assessing environmental performance tell the whole story.

“Stone is often presented as a low-carbon material. In many respects it is. Compared with concrete or steel, it requires little processing, and when specified well, it can also remain in service for centuries. Yet researching indigenous stone made me realise that this description, on its own, tells us very little. Sustainability is not a property a material carries with it. It is the outcome of a sequence of decisions: where the material comes from, how it is extracted, how it is detailed, maintained and, ultimately, reused.

One of the first challenges is measurement. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are becoming an increasingly important part of specification, but not every quarry has produced one. Talking with quarry managers during the research, this came up again and again as a structural disadvantage: an EPD takes time and money that many smaller, family-run operators can't justify without an increase in demand, leaving them to compete against materials that can point to a certificate, when all they can point to is generations of accumulated experience and common sense.

And even where EPDs exist, comparing them is difficult. There is still no agreed way of calculating stone's embodied carbon. One geologist I interviewed explained that a thin cladding panel is sawn, honed, sometimes resin-treated - a highly processed product - while a structural block goes through far less handling and, done right, comes out with a markedly better carbon figure. Yet fixings, backing systems and coatings still sit outside most calculations altogether. Making stone's environmental data both more available and more consistent has to become an industry priority.

Carbon, however, is only one part of the picture. 

As I found while mapping the UK's quarrying landscape, provenance carries weight a carbon figure alone can't capture. Imported stone appears in a lower cost range, but that price rarely reflects the transport emissions behind it, the variable extraction and labour standards, or the difficulty of verifying any of it from a distance. Specifying it from abroad also does something closer to home: it reduces demand for the quarries that still supply the repairs our historic buildings depend on, and hollows out the specialist skills that keep those quarries alive.

What embodied carbon rarely captures is durability. A stone selected with an understanding of its geological properties, exposure conditions and intended application can remain in service for centuries. Poor specification has the opposite effect, shortening service life regardless of a material's initial carbon footprint. Durability, repairability and the potential for reuse are as much a part of sustainability as transport distance or manufacturing emissions.

This, I think, is one of the key findings of the research: specification is itself a sustainability decision, and usually one made too late. Stone is too often chosen after the principal architectural decisions are already fixed, treated as a finish rather than a material with its own geology and its own expression in the building. The people who understand those qualities best - quarry managers, stonemasons, geologists, conservation specialists - are rarely in the room when those decisions are made. One stonemason I interviewed explained that procurement should never start after design - that's the biggest mistake. His process is simple in principle: visit the quarries, study what they can actually offer, and let that inform the design, not the other way round. Re-learning how to work with stone in all its nuances doesn't call for new technology - only earlier conversations and a willingness to let the material shape the design.

The question, then, is not whether stone is sustainable. It is whether we are specifying it well.”