Toby Barlow was revealed as the first winner of the Stone Federation Student Architect Award for his entry Stone Reform -The Centre for Structural Stone with the presentation made by respected tv architect George Clarke and Stone theatre host Susannah Streeter.
This was a quarry design project creating practical guides for using stone in construction, fitting buildings into quarry landscapes, and making old quarries ecologically and socially beneficial. Tested through various building types, these guides help build with stone in different ways, integrate structures naturally within a quarry, and restore unused quarry land by involving locals and creating community spaces. His proposal demonstrates new ways to use quarry stone and revitalize quarry sites.
Toby Barlow presenting Stone Reform -The Centre for Structural Stone
Toby receives a cheque for £1,500 and a range of learning opportunities as the standout entry from the dozens of entries submitted from students on architectural courses in Kingston, Brighton, London, Sheffield, Glasgow, Cambridge, Nottingham, Oxford Brookes, University of West Scotland, Newcastle University, Coventry and Liverpool.
Sasha Farnsworth and Falak Fatima Syed were both highly commended. Sasha's submission, Womb Temple - Lunar Rebirth highlights the moon's influence and incorporates lunar-aligned matriarchal festivals, with the central ritual zone and annual "Festival of the Rocks" fostering community engagement and a shift towards natural building. Whilst Falak’s project, Digital Resilience & Craft, proposed a balanced integration of mixed reality (MR) with dry stone walling, enhancing its longevity and ecological aspects without losing its human core. While digital tools offer precision, MR can bridge the gap between machine logic and human intuition, leveraging technology to extend the craftsperson's capabilities in increasingly complex projects.
Stone Federation has established this prize to recognise outstanding student projects that showcase the use of natural stone, and to support and encourage the next generation of architects to make good use of natural stone in construction. Find out more here.