It is often stated that one of the environmental benefits of natural stone that also adds to its lifetime cost benefit is its ability to be reclaimed and re-used in practically the same form as it was originally used. There is a thriving market in reclaimed natural stone paving, setts and kerbs, flagstones, roofing slates and fireplaces. And, increasingly, entire buildings are being recycled.

Rewind eight years to 2001. In the West End of London stone contractors Putney & Wood were working on the refurbishment of Kinnaird House at No1 Pall Mall for Kier. Their package included dismantling, re-working and re-instating the Portland Stone that was used in the original construction nearly 100 years earlier.

Like most buildings from that era, the original construction used load-bearing stone up to 200mm thick. Putney & Wood’s stonemasons carefully removed these stones and transported them to their factory where the thickness was reduced to 75mm to make them suitable for modern cladding. A few months later, the masons re-installed the stone as cladding on concrete without much ceremony, putting them at the front of building recycling.

Coming up to date, Putney & Wood have lately completed the stonework at King’s Arms Yard in the City of London, where they cut down and re-installed the original Portland Stone as cladding. There were 35tonnes of stone removed, re-worked and recycled in this way. And the company currently have 33tonnes of stone from the façade at 29-30 Kings Street, London, in their yard. Having been cleaned and cut down, this stone, too, will be re-instated as cladding.

With re-used stone at Skanska’s 311-318 High Holborn and the internal restoration of 41 Lothbury for Wates also using original stone, Putney & Wood and building up quite a recycling portfolio.

The environmental benefits do not only come from the re-use of a still perfectly serviceable building material, either, because rebuilding the wall allows insulation to be incorporated into its construction, greatly improving ‘U’ values. And the stone left over from turning load-bearing stone into cladding is also recycled as paving slabs.

Putney & Wood’s association with demolition contractors John F Hunt has helped put them at the forefront of this type of work, the two companies creating an effective method of successfully preserving and recycling natural stone. Their joined-up approach delivers economies for clients and ecological benefits for the environment.

Putney & Wood is one of the most highly respected stone masonry contractors in the country. Having worked on several landmark building, the company specialises in natural stone cladding, restoration and internal stonework.