Two of the six projects on the short list of this year's top architectural award, the RIBA Stirling Prize, are major natural stone projects using British stone.

The Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre at Worcester College by Niall McLaughlin Architects uses Clipsham Limestone, which is sold by Stamford Stone. Szerelmey was the stone specialist on the project.

More than 500 tonnes of the stone, with its distinctive tonal variation from blues to pinks, have been used in the facades of the building.

The stone was excavated and sawn using the latest plant and CNC stone processing techniques.

The building sits beside a cricket pitch in the secluded garden of one of Oxford’s most historic colleges. There’s even a lake to complete the scene.

The architect wanted a material of tactile gravitas imbued with a timelessness that would give the building a feeling of belonging among the listed buildings that surround it; of always having been there and never having to leave.

Another major stone project is the Bloomberg Building in London, where the architect was Foster + Partners and the specialist stone contractor was Grants of Shoreditch. Here the stone used is Marshalls’ Stanton Moor sandstone.

Occupying a whole block in the City, this 66,354m2 development brings all of Bloomberg’s employees under one roof for the first time.

Externally the building incorporates a covered walkway all round its perimeter. There is also a new street created that carves the building into two blocks connected by bridges. An external undulation in plan is described by the architect as an expression of movement.