Okay, it may only be October, and the sound of sleigh bells barely a distant ding, but due to popular demand, some Christmas events simply need flagging this early in the annual calendar.

We’re excited to announce the return of the Women in Natural Stone Christmas Party 2025, a festive evening to celebrate another fantastic year!

This event is always a highlight in the WINS calendar and a great opportunity to network, reconnect, and celebrate with colleagues across the natural stone sector. 

The evening will begin with welcome drinks and informal networking from 6pm. Co-chairs, Tamsin and Becca, will say a few words to round up the activities of the year, while also sharing exciting news of the plans for 2026. Food will be served throughout the evening, with plenty of time to catch up with familiar faces from the industry and meet a few new people too. Places are limited, and like all WINS events, this is a hot ticket - so booking is essential!

To reserve your place, please email sara@stonefed.org.uk

Date: Wednesday 3rd December
Time: 18:00-22:00
Venue: Corvo, Leonardo Royal Hotel London City
Address: 8 Cooper’s Row, London EC3N 2BQ
Cost: £20 plus VAT
Nearest stations: Fenchurch Street and Tower Hill

There are also opportunities to sponsor this event and show your support for the initiative. WINS has a national reach with 350 members and events taking place across the country. For sponsorship packages and details on how your company can become involved in WINS please email wins@stonefed.org.uk

By now, it’s plain to see that we have a waste problem, not least in the construction industry, which is said to produce 62% of the UK’s waste alone. We need seismic, yet focused changes throughout the industry. But how do you even begin to go about tackling the pressing problem of, say, the many tonnes of ceramic and glass waste generated by foundation industry factories?

That was the very specific but prescient question posed by Professor David Binns and Dr Alasdair Bremner when commencing their research project while working at the University of Lancashire.

Their work led to the development of a pioneering material, Silicastone, which repurposes industrial waste streams, capturing their embodied energy to create new, low-carbon architectural surfaces. From here, Alusid was born, and the company has continued to extend its research, develop new surfaces, and pioneer even more sustainable manufacturing processes ever since. The product portfolio now includes eight tile ranges, including Mas, which is made from between 95-98.5% recycled content. 

One of the benefits of the process the team has developed is that the raw materials have already been processed by other industries. This allowed a key technological breakthrough: Alusid’s dry granulation process, which eliminates water use during a key stage of tile production. This approach avoids the need to add large amounts of water and regrind virgin raw materials that the traditional spray drying process requires. These ‘standard’ methods need to be dried using energy-intensive methods—often consuming nearly as much energy as firing the tiles themselves at over 1,200°C. Whereas Alusid’s dry granulation process allows for a low-temperature sintering method, cutting energy consumption and carbon emissions, and making Alusid’s tiles among the lowest carbon options available.

As the company and the portfolio have expanded with demand, so has the need for greater volumes of materials, as Alaisdair explains, “While Alusid started with a hyper-local approach to sourcing materials, it was clear from the start that to make a wider impact and to supply large, ambitious commercial projects, it would require volume production.” In 2019, the team opened a research program to adapt the production of its materials to existing lines in Spain, where approximately a third of all the tiles sold in the UK are made, and where there are literally mountains of waste material. While many of those original tiles may have used a global supply chain to bring raw materials such as Feldspar, Ball Clay and Kaolin into the country, Alusid gathers and recycles materials within a 100km radius of its Spanish sub-contracted factories.

But Alusid’s appeal comes not only from the materials it recycles, and the reduction of carbon they create, but also from the way those materials influence the final design. Alusid products have a unique aesthetic that is informed by the recycling process itself; the different sizes of particles, leftover glaze and glass in the raw materials give each tile unique textures, colour differences and finishes. The resulting material palette is rich in tactility, character, and colour, defying uniformity and alluding to a deeper material narrative. 

Having started with a simple yet determined idea for positive change, the team has since entered strategic partnerships with Parkside Tiles and the Topps Group, taking them from artisan to commercial scale production. But what remains is a commitment to tackling waste, cutting carbon emissions, and reducing waste usage, and with it, lowering the environmental impact of the ceramic industry.

Although the number of women in the construction industry has increased in recent years, the natural stone sector remains a niche area for women. Recognising this was something that Claire Wallbridge hoped to address back in 2021. With many years of experience in the industry herself, she found that she had a simple yet burning question in her mind, namely, “Who are the women in our industry?”

To mark International Women’s Day that year, she reached out to her network and invited women to share a photo of themselves with a paragraph about their role in stone to be collated and shared on social media. In her invitation, she noted, “We want to get the message out that Stone is a sector that is diverse and open to all, with many career choices.” She was met with a positive response, and one that galvanised her desire to bring these women together and form a supportive community. Launching at the Landscape Show in 2022, Women in Natural Stone (WINS) has now grown to a membership of over 350, with Regional Ambassadors supporting a core London base. In 2023, Stone Federation Great Britain took over the running of the group to enable its growth and development, and it continues ot go from strength to strength.

As was the goal from the start, WINS provides a network of camaraderie and support, and aims to encourage new women into the industry, as current co-chair and director Athena Stonecare, Becca Cranfield, can attest:

“When I began my career in natural stone 7 years ago, I was in a sector I knew nothing about. It always felt like everyone that I met had been in stone forever, and with my own company being so small, I didn’t know who to turn to for support. It was often the women that I met who I felt most comfortable asking the stupid questions, to reach out to for guidance and advice. I’ve been lucky that I have had informal mentorship along my journey from the networks that I’ve built. But without the opportunity for women to meet each other, this just wouldn’t happen. Providing networking for women who might not otherwise have this enables relationships to form naturally.”

Networking and support remain the central aim for WINS. Many of the women involved are the only female team member in a heavily male-dominated sector. By bringing women together in a relaxed environment, the collective have fostered relationships that have developed into friendships and career development. WINS hosts a number of annual events in London, and across the regions, with formats ranging from motivational speakers to Q&As with a panel, quarry tours, site visits, lunches, and drinks. Younger team members, students, and those joining the industry are actively encouraged to attend, meet their more experienced counterparts, and make valuable connections.

Fellow co-chair and operations director of Szerelmey, Tamsin Pickeral, underlines the impact such opportunities afford:

“I was completely blown away when the Stone Federation asked me to be Co-Chair of WINS in 2022; it was such an honour! I joined the industry (and Szerelmey) in 2013, and at that time, there were very few female employees in either the company or the industry. I had “fallen” into my role by accident rather than design, as often happens, I think. But because of that, I didn’t have any specific stone experience. That, combined with being a minority, made navigating my way quite tricky. Luckily for me, my colleagues were mostly very supportive, and that made all the difference.”

Inspiring future women into the industry remains a driving force to WINS, and helping them to find their confidence to be heard in a male-dominated world is high on the agenda, and something that Tamsin notes as showing positive signs of change:

“I do remember very vividly a number of early external meetings that I went to when I was the only female in the room, and how difficult it was to speak up and be heard. Sometimes, I still get anxious, but I have developed a number of tools to cope, and a tough exterior! WINS are so important to me. Seeing the number of women in the industry massively grow and having a support network is fantastic. I am excited for the future of WINS and to see it continue to grow and provide support, networking, and friendships.”

The team are keen to highlight that they are not only welcoming, diverse and supportive, but fun. What’s more, WINS is run by industry professionals who, between them, have chalked up a great number of years of experience. WINS brings these voices together and provides opportunity for discussion and debate, which has enabled them to become a recognised and respected group. WINS might not be the largest network, but it is certainly mighty!

Swathed in a geometric patchwork of stone, Saudi Arabia’s Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka is a homage to the kingdom’s culture and unique urban and natural landscapes. Designed by Foster + Partners, the pavilion is the second largest by plot size at the event, behind only the host country, Japan. 

Inspired by traditional buildings and the interconnected routes that link the urban landscape of the kingdom, the vast space is also designed to passively regulate airflow. As an area renowned for its desert climate, its inhabitants are accustomed to architecture designed to mitigate temperature fluctuations and wind patterns. Those visiting during the Expo are welcomed into a design adapted for the Osaka climate, which itself experiences highs of 30 degrees over the summer months. Using computational fluid dynamics, the team at Foster + Partners has been able to position the group of buildings to draw in cool westerly winds in the summer, while acting as a windbreak in cooler climes. 

While it looks like it's built for permanence, which the choice of Saudi stone adds to, the pavilion stays true to the temporary nature of the event (albeit a six-month period) and also has sustainability at its heart. It adopts a  DfMA-based (Design for Manufacturing and Assembly) approach, which helps to simplify the building process, as well as disassembly. Relatively lightweight steel moment frames are used throughout, which allows for a reduction in concrete foundations, while roofs house photovoltaic panels that power the buildings. The pavilion is the first temporary structure to receive the WELL Health and Safety Rating (HSR) certification, and the addition of low-carbon materials, such as the stone, is a prerequisite of the kingdom’s long-term sustainability plans laid out in the Saudi Green Initiative. 

Reykjavík–London multidisciplinary studio OF A, founded by architects Ralu Emandi and Laura Lim Sam are unveiling a very special stone installation during Frieze Week this October. 

Making their debut at London’s leading art and design fair, the special two-day event Somewhere Else takes place inside a Georgian townhouse at 14 Cavendish Square. Four installations, described by the studio as “acts”, span each floor of the house and are intended to blur the boundaries of art, design, and architecture and invite visitors, “To consider how buildings can hold climate, memory, and imagination at once.” 

On the ground floor, they are met by The Cube, a monolithic piece that blends beauty with function in the form of a one-tonne block of Calacatta Oro marble. Upon its surface is a shallow cut dish, into which water gently pours in an endless loop from a polished brass pipe above. The minimal form, while solid in its mass, is beautifully refined, which reflects the duo’s approach:

”Working between art and architecture, we strive to create atmospheric environments shaped by elemental materials. Informed by Nordic landscapes, Japanese aesthetics, and ecological awareness, our approach distils natural phenomena - water, air, light, stone - into sculptural and architectural forms that are both poetic and precise.” 

Elsewhere, visitors can find The Moon Garden, The Spectral Dining Table and the Cloud Room, which encapsulate the elemental forces that shape the duo’s combined practice.

Image Credits: Annabel Elston

Somewhere Else by OF A
14 Cavendish Square, Marylebone, London W1G 9DB
16–17 October 2025 | Thu 11am–8pm, Fri 11am–6pm
Admission free 

of-a.space/somewhere-else

Following the recent launch of their crystalline silica-free surface, ICON, I caught up with Caesarstone VP of Marketing, Jonathan Stanley, to discover more about the company’s unique position in the worktop industry. The brand is approaching its 40th year in business and has built a reputation for supplying premium engineered stone surfaces. With over 20 years of marketing and PR experience, Jonathan has helped steer the brand since 2016 and offered insights into the downfalls of specifying based on affordability alone, the importance of traceability, and how Caesarstone continues to stand out in a crowded market.  

JB: With so many engineered stone companies on the market, particularly in the world of worktops, how do specifiers and consumers begin to distinguish between them?

JS: Of all the industries that I’ve ever worked in, the stone industry and particularly the engineered stone and porcelain sectors are the hardest to navigate from the outside. There are multiple material types and terms, and a wealth of misinformation, some of which is deliberate and some of which is just poor communications. 

The silicosis debate over the past few years has at least caused designers, specifiers, and consumers to ask more questions, which is a good thing. However, during many briefing sessions over the last 24 months to discuss occupational health, material technology, and safer working practices, often with large architectural firms, I’ve been staggered at how little understanding there often is. 

As with ANY product category, there is good, bad, and the downright ugly. Why would our sector be any different? The good news is that it can be ridiculously easy to determine which is which. Whether consumer or trade pro, start with the website and check available product information and certification. Can you find a Safety Data Sheet that explains everything about the product? Is there technical information that shows how to safely work with the material? Is there evidence of an ESG programme or other environmental information? 

Good brands will have multiple case studies. Are these in line with what you are looking for or aspiring to? Finally, does the product actually look any good? Sadly, there are some cheap materials on the market that are very poorly designed. One could laugh, if they didn’t reflect so poorly on the rest of the stone industry. 

JB: So, how does Caesarstone continue to differentiate itself from the market when so many products have come along that look like your surfaces? 

JS: On the surface, many of these materials look similar, but what sits behind them in terms of quality, safety, and accountability is where the true value is found. The market is driven by price, and has been engaged in a race to the bottom for a number of years. This can mean compromises in raw materials, inconsistent quality, and little to no traceability of where and how the product was made. That’s why a “bargain” worktop can quickly become a false economy.

Caesarstone has been designing, manufacturing, and sourcing engineered stone for nearly 40 years. We were the pioneers of engineered stone, bringing it to market, and the first to achieve genuinely natural-looking designs and concrete-inspired surfaces that changed the way people think about worktops. Every slab is designed and manufactured with meticulous care, using only the highest-grade raw materials and processes that meet the strictest international standards. We back our worktops with a lifetime warranty, rigorous testing, and complete transparency of product performance and environmental credentials because a worktop isn’t just a surface; it’s the foundation of your kitchen.

When you consider that the average kitchen lasts 15–20 years, the difference between choosing a trusted brand like Caesarstone and an unbranded alternative can be surprisingly small – often less than £100 a year across the kitchen’s lifespan. In return, you gain a surface that’s beautiful, durable, safe, and backed by a company that stands behind every slab. That’s what makes Caesarstone truly premium.

JB: But of course, there are also a plethora of cheap worktops available on the market, which they arguably dominate. Is it a case of getting what you pay for, and if so, what is the impact of buying based on affordability alone? Presumably, there are hidden costs that outweigh the initial price tag of a premium surface?

JS: It’s tempting to focus on affordability when choosing a worktop, but in reality, a cheap option is cheap for a reason, and usually carries hidden costs. Lower-grade materials can compromise on safety, with little clarity on how or where they were manufactured. They may lack the durability needed for daily use, meaning chips, stains, or cracks appear sooner, and repairs or even full replacements become inevitable. And without environmental credentials or traceability, they can carry a far greater impact on the planet than many consumers realise.

Cheap materials are often associated with poor fabrication practices, which has an impact on the occupational health and wellbeing of those in our industry too. 

On the other hand, a premium surface like Caesarstone is designed to last the full lifespan of the average kitchen, and beyond. Because we continue to innovate - most recently with ICON, our crystalline silica-free surfaces – specifiers and consumers can be confident they’re choosing not only a durable material, but also one that reflects the latest advances in aesthetics, performance, and safety.

When you look at the real cost per year, the difference is surprisingly small, but the benefits are profound: peace of mind on safety, a lifetime warranty, assured durability, and the knowledge that your worktop was responsibly made to the highest global standards. Affordability in the moment can come at a high price over time, whereas investing in quality ensures lasting performance, beauty, and integrity.

JB: In terms of costs, there is also the grey area of the installed cost of worktops, which can itself be a bit of a minefield. Do you have any useful tips or insights to help consumers decode the installed cost of a worktop and spot if corners are being cut? 

JS: Decoding the installed cost of a worktop isn’t always straightforward, but there are a few key points consumers and specifiers can watch out for to ensure quality isn’t being compromised. Often, corners are cut during sourcing, fabrication, or installation, particularly when materials are chosen solely on price. This can show up as lower-grade slabs, inconsistent colour or veining, simplified edge profiles, or rushed installation, all of which affect durability, performance, and longevity.

To spot these issues, it’s important to understand what contributes to the final cost. Factors include the material itself, slab size, pattern complexity, edge profiles, and professional installation. If a quote seems unusually low, it’s worth asking exactly what’s included, how the slabs are sourced, and whether the installer is accredited. Unbranded or very cheap surfaces usually carry hidden risks: poor durability, substandard safety compliance, and lack of traceability, which can result in unexpected repairs or replacement costs down the line.

When it comes to manufacturers, be wary of products with no identifiable brand, no website, no clear country of origin, and no third-party testing or certification. If a supplier can’t provide certifications, a warranty, or evidence of performance testing, that’s a red flag. Another tell-tale sign is a lack of contact details for after-sales service. Once the invoice is paid, you should still have a reliable support network in place for years to come. Also, look at the fabrication process: reputable partners will work with fabricators who follow best-practice safety measures and produce a consistent, high-quality product. If those safeguards aren’t visible, they might not be happening. And don’t hesitate to contact a brand’s customer service team to request further product information, recommended fabricators, and ask questions. Transparent businesses will welcome the opportunity to provide clear answers and demonstrate their standards.

JB: That underlines the importance of transparency to all forms of specifiers when it comes to material sourcing and manufacturing. What is Caesarstone’s approach here, has this evolved in recent times?

JS: Transparency has always been central to Caesarstone. Choosing a worktop isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about trust in where the material comes from, how it was made, and how it will perform over time. We provide full traceability and verifiable data through rigorous testing, third-party verified ESG reports, environmental product declarations, and international certifications, so specifiers can make informed decisions with complete confidence. And as we expand the ICON portfolio, we’re committed to backing it with the same level of third-party declarations and certifications, setting new standards of transparency in the category.

Throw into the mix Caesarstone’s Masters of Stone programme – free health & safety training for anyone working in the stone industry, whether you are a customer of ours or not. Caesarstone believes in adding value back into the industry and making it attractive for the next generation of stone masons and fabricators. 

Alongside this, we’ve evolved our approach to support the industry more directly – introducing clear, competitive pricing structures (including this year’s reductions on some of our best-selling surfaces), as well as tailored educational material and hands-on guidance for designers, housebuilders, developers, and fabricators. Our dedicated customer service team works closely with partners at every stage, ensuring not only product transparency, but also project clarity and peace of mind.

JB: The company certainly stands out from the crowd in terms of its branding, something I’m sure you and your team have worked hard on. Your explicit material traceability and certification are a big part of that messaging. Can you talk me through the rationale here?

JS: Some industry people will tell you that Caesarstone is more expensive because we have to pay for all of our marketing, and often, I wish we had the marketing budgets that many think we have. 

We spend a lot on raw materials, manufacturing expertise, design research and testing and certification, and, ultimately, this approach is the Caesarstone brand. We are an inherently curious, R&D-led business, and our primary interest is in making the best product that we can.

The Caesarstone brand stands out because we are mostly showing off what are very well-designed products. These are then elevated further because the products are mostly seen in very well-designed spaces. If you are lucky enough to be continually specified by some of the best kitchen, interior, or architectural designers around the world, when you show a case study, people notice. 

Our branding, for us, has always been about more than visual identity; it’s based on trust and the story behind every surface we produce. Explicit material traceability and certification are central to that story. They allow us to show specifiers, designers and homeowners exactly where our raw materials come from, how they are processed, and the rigorous standards they meet along the way.

This level of transparency underpins our premium positioning. It’s what differentiates Caesarstone in a crowded market, where many materials may look similar but don’t offer the same assurances of quality, safety and sustainability. By making this information clear and verifiable, we’re not just selling a surface; we’re giving confidence in every decision, reinforcing the integrity of our brand, and demonstrating that premium engineered stone isn’t just a claim, it’s a commitment.

Oh Ho House is inspired by its main material protagonist - stone - which is, in itself, informed by its locality. Situated in Bengaluru, southern India, it is the home of its designer, architect Senthil Kumar Doss, and the Indian office for his practice, Play Architecture.

The building has a poetic quality born out of an ephemeral moment of revelation in which Senthil noticed how the elongated rays of the setting sun discernibly softened the solidity of the stone walls of a South Indian temple complex. This subtle, yet stimulating visual memory has stuck with Senthil’s, and when beginning designs for the space, he naturally turned to stone.

Significantly, he has chosen chapdi, a stone that was once used in construction throughout the Karnataka region, but has since been relegated to utilitarian roles such as paving and compound walls. Quarried locally in slab form, the lightly shaded, sandy-grey stone is used throughout the build - both inside and out. Rather appropriately, the north-facing plot, which neighbours Bangalore’s national zoological park, is the site of a former quarry. Senthil underlines the material's significance:

“Used in its natural form, stone is one of the least carbon-intensive building materials - requiring no firing, minimal processing, and often transported short distances. At Oh Ho, the choice of chapdi is both poetic and practical: a low-carbon material reclaimed from the margins of construction and returned to architectural primacy.” 

At 11x11m, the building is compact in size and leans far more to the minimal rather than the ornate. It’s also a highly functional space, arranged in organised in a nine-square grid referencing traditional Indian planning principles. Yet, it houses some surprising and joyful moments. In the centre, there’s the airy and light-flooded open courtyard, which plays host to a singular tree, placing nature at the heart of the environment. The design also deploys some innovative stone joinery reminiscent of dovetail carpentry, which not only makes for simpler construction but also allows the building to be dismantled and reused in the future. 

The nine modules are designed to accommodate the maximum dimension of the chapdi slabs that could be transported to site, but still measure a comfortable 3. 6x3.6m. Gabion walls positioned on the site’s south, east, and west sides use leftover stone and create privacy and a light barrier for particularly sunny days. Capturing rainwater also plays an integral role within the design, forming a pond-like ecosystem before being guided into the community’s larger water system.

This sensitively designed building is more than the home or the studio space it provides, but a refuge with a keen sense of place. In 2024, it was recognised for its considered use of stone, picking up the World of Architecture Best Use of Stone Award, and its plain to see why. In Oh Ho House, Senthil and his family have a residence to forever enjoy the enchanting glow of the golden hour.

Play Architecture is an international practice and has recently launched in the UK. For more information visit: www.playarchitecture.co.uk

Creating mosaics from stoneware is an ancient technique, with some of the most hallowed examples dating back as far as the Roman Empire and coming into prominence during the Byzantine period, when used to create pictorial art laced with symbolic imagery. 

In our contemporary world, you’re far more likely to find mosaics in grid formations on the walls of public toilets or laid in Victorian patterns on the floor leading up to a front door. Artist Nikki Edwards is keen to challenge this status quo, as shown with her exhibition in Shoreditch’s Jaguer Shoes. Adorning the walls of the iconic venue, guests can find splashes of colour, shape and form rendered in ceramic mosaic. With a background in graphic design, Nikki’s bold creations are striking and playful, breathing new life into a time-honoured form of ornamentation.