Forest Pennant, the commercial brand of Forest of Dean Stone Firms, has completed a public art commission in Bristol, supplying bespoke cut slabs of Pennant sandstone for a reinstated public highway and social public space, designed for Unite Students by muf architecture / art.

Forest of Dean Pennant sandstone from Barnhill Quarry in the Forest of Dean was chosen because of its provenance in the city and its proximity, and because of Stone Firms’ independent PAS 2050 verification of the stone’s low level life cycle greenhouse gas footprint.

The Gloucestershire-based stone company also supplied a flight of steps with eased edges and non-slip resin infill treads, and a back plate for a basketball hoop.

The site for this artwork is narrow (just 18m wide) and steeply sloping.

Paul Blake, production manager at Forest of Dean Stone Firms, says of the project: “This design was unlike anything we’d seen before. It was the first time a client had created a model using sliced bread! Our stone is a natural material so needs to be cut and worked to achieve precision. The design required 15mm joints and for the slabs to be positioned in a descending / ascending order while maintaining the natural surface finish. It was a challenge but we’re incredibly proud of the result.”

The challenge for the architect was to deliver a bespoke scheme on a limited budget on a site constrained by its topography. 

Muf practice associate Mathilde Lebreton visited the Stone Firms’ Bixslade stoneworks and Barnhill quarry, which she says was important.

“The design detail was advanced through visits to the quarry to identify the most cost effective and technically viable way to maximise the dramatic use of very large slabs of stone with a natural oxidised surface contrasting with the blue / grey cut face. The slabs gave us the opportunity to answer design intention and provide protection as a balustrade at the same time.”

Katherine Clarke, artist partner at muf, describes the finished work as “a scheme of pared back drama”.