Next Project

Stone Reform: Centre for Structural Stone

Part 2 Project 2024
Tom Phillips
James Watson
Matthew Davies
Toby Barlow
University of Liverpool | UK
Stone is a forgotten material. Despite its superior strength, beauty and low carbon impact, the UK’s quarrying system is set up to supply concrete and clay bricks for its building stock, whilst stone is being used as part of metal cladding systems wasting its structural potential. In light of climate change and the need to reduce embodied carbon within the built environment, we propose the following hypothesis:

“The use of concrete and clay bricks in buildings will be banned by 2040”.

The Centre for Structural Stone (CSS) is proposed to tackle the barriers associated with building with structural stone. A centre for research and collaboration, its learning facilities will enable industry upskilling; living provisions will allow students and staff to form the immersive CSS community; and leisure facilities will provide spaces for interaction, creating connections with the local community. The site is a test bed for how to build with stone, how to integrate urban building types into a quarry, and how to restore a quarry – socially and ecologically. The testing methods employed cover a variety of scales, resulting in the creation of a new toolset that can be applied across decommissioned quarry sites, and the wider UK built environment."


Tutor(s)
Soumyen Bandyopadhyay
Mary Shepperson
2024
• Page Hits: 223         • Entry Date: 23 August 2024         • Last Update: 16 September 2024