Forward to the Stone Age

• Home
• Events

For many, stone remains synonymous with antiquity – a luxurious and inherently traditionalist material, its high cost consigning it to use in thin veneers and high-end hotels. A marble kitchen worktop may be an easy way to boost a property’s value but anything more substantial, is out of reach for most. Whether working in granite, limestone or slate there’s a widespread assumption that we just can’t build in stone anymore.

However, a new generation of designers are exploring stone in innovative and surprising ways. Last summer, Interrobang Architecture and Engineering proved their suspended stone floor design could span the same distance as reinforced concrete with less than half the depth and embodied energy. In Clerkenwell, Amin Taha Architects and Webb Yates Engineers are completing a new office building using a load-bearing stone facade to create a column-free interior and spectacular variegated elevation. At Highgate Cemetery, Craig Hamilton is putting the finishing touches to the Goldhammer tomb, the first new mausoleum to be built in the cemetery for a century, incorporating 4 tonne blocks of Indiana limestone on 19 metre pile foundations. 

It is time to revisit our assumptions about stone of all kinds. For too long its technical potential and cultural symbolism have lain unchallenged. What could a revitalised interest in stone mean for contemporary construction? What if stone was seen not as the pricey epitome of bygone building methods, but as a cutting edge material with unique structural properties? Perhaps for 21st century architecture to advance, it is time for a return to the stone age.

The Architecture Foundation and Webb Yates Engineers in partnership with Turkishceramics present an evening discussion of the past, present and future of stone including a guided tour of Amin Taha Architects' Clerkenwell Close and drinks reception in St James' church.

Speakers

Eric Parry, Eric Party Architects

Amin Taha, Amin Taha Architects

Maria Smith, Interrobang Architecture and Engineering

Steve Webb, Webb Yates Engineers

Adrian Forty, professor of architectural history and author

Liz Hirst, Hirst Conservation

Pierre Bidaud, Stone Mason, The Stonemasonry Masonry Company ltd 

Amin Taha Architects and Webb Yates Engineers' Clerkenwell Close building which features a load-bearing stone facade

Interrobang Architecture and Engineering's suspended stone floor in the V&A

St James' Church there the panel discussion and drinks reception will take place.

Turkishceramics

Turkishceramics is an umbrella organization representing over 30 individual ceramic manufacturers and exporters in Turkey. The brand’s mission is to raise awareness of Turkish ceramics abroad and communicate the quality of Turkish ceramic sanitary ware and tiles. Ceramic production in Turkey has a long history and rich tradition, with the first ceramics being created in Anatolia over 8,000 years ago. As a leading supporter of architecture and design in the UK and internationally, Turkishceramics serves as a cultural ambassador between countries, fostering creative collaboration and learning. Turkishceramics is proud to be the lead supporter of the Royal Academy of Arts Architecture Programme since 2015.      

Companies represented by Turkishceramics

Altın Çini Seramik
Anka Seramik
Bien Seramik
Bocchi
Çanakkale Seramik
Creavit
Dogvit
Duratiles
Duravit
Ece Banyo - ISVEA
Ege Seramik
Ege Vitrifiye
Esvit
Graniser Seramik
Granito Girarto
Granito Rino
Güral Vitrifiye
Hitit Seramik
Idevit
Kale
Kalebodur
Kütahya Seramik
Pera Seramik
Sanovit
Seramiksan
Seranit
Seranova
Serapool
Serel
Tamsa
Termal Seramik
Toprak Seramik
Turavit
Turkuaz Seramik
Uşak Seramik
VitrA
Yüksel Seramik
Yurtbay Seramik