Caesarstone has introduced 10 new designs to its growing range including three low-silica options as part of its minerals surfaces offer. A further seven designs are porcelain.

The collection called Time is inspired by 'the mineral evolution of geological phases' and feature textured effects. In the mineral surfaces range are: 5140 Dreamy Carrara, 5113 Solenna and 5310 Brillianza and these combine unique minerals, such as feldspar, with quartz and recycled elements. 

The company believe by 'increasing the recycled content of some products by up to 40%, and lowering the crystalline silica content to less than 40%, and in some cases, even as low as 10%' it can transition more designs from its quartz offering to this low-silica alternative. 

Edward Smith, managing director at Caesarstone UK and ROI, said: “at Caesarstone, we have built a legacy on our commitment to surface research and development, as well as our unwavering dedication to sustainability. This ethos extends beyond the finished product to encompass the safety and integrity of our entire supply chain. With the introduction of our Mineral Surfaces, we are proud to offer a Low-Silica option that not only meets our stringent sustainability standards but also upholds the high performance and durability expected from Caesarstone surfaces. Each Mineral Surface undergoes rigorous testing to ensure it meets the same exceptional standards that our customers have come to trust. The new Mineral Surfaces represent not just a new product offering but a continued dedication to innovation, sustainability and excellence in surface design.”

Tile adhesive company, Kerakoll Group has acquired 40,000 square metres of land in Preston to build its twentieth production plant globally, which is expected to open by spring 2026. This is the company's second production plant in the country – the first is in nearby Leyland – and is part of a global expansion plan with products being made and distributed from here to the rest of the UK and Northern Europe. 

The company, which has B Corp status, has also announced the appointment of Carl Gardner (who has held roles at Saint-Gobain and Travis Perkins) as general manager of the UK and director of the UK, Nordics and the Netherlands. His appointment is part of the implementation of the new International Business Unit of the Group.

Last year, Kerakoll turned over £40m in the UK and the new expansion plans will increase production capacity in the UK by 100% by 2028. It currently employs 130 employees in the UK and the new plant will employ green technologies and sustainable practices, such as photovoltaic panels, which are expected to produce 245 kWh per day, and advanced rainwater recycling systems. In line with its B Corp status, Kerakoll Group is committed to achieving Very Good, or above, in the BREEAM rating, an internationally recognised assessment of environmental performance. 

In 2017, Kerakoll purchased Tilemaster Adhesives and is continuing to integrate the brands. 

Marco Zini, CEO of Kerakoll Group, commented: “I couldn’t be prouder of Kerakoll Group’s latest accomplishments. Both the launch of our second production site project in Lancashire and the appointment of a seasoned professional like Carl Gardner reflect Kerakoll Group's unwavering dedication to accelerating expansion in strategically vital regions. I’m sure Carl will make a big impact in his new role, helping us sustain the momentum in our trajectory of international growth”. 

 

The Garfield Weston Foundation has pledged £500,000 towards York Minster's Centre of Excellence for Heritage Skills and Estate Management. This grant is the largest philanthropic gift granted by a charitable foundation towards the Minster’s work to date.

A family-founded grant maker, The Garfield Weston Foundation supports a wide range of charities across the UK and donates around £90m each year.

York Minster’s new Centre for Excellence will open later this year and will bring multiple benefits, including improving the productivity of restoration work; helping to retain traditional craft skills and practitioners; supporting young people in the early stages of their careers; and providing dedicated residential facilities for apprentices and trainees.

The vision for the Centre of Excellence is also a key element of the adopted York Minster Precinct Neighbourhood Plan which sets out a policy-led approach to creating a sustainable future for the Minster and its seven hectare estate.

Alex McCallion, director of works and precinct at York Minster, said: “This incredibly generous donation by the Foundation will help hugely towards realising our vision for the Centre of Excellence, in turn encouraging national and global learning and knowledge sharing of traditional heritage crafts and cutting-edge technologies. The Centre is crucial for helping us to secure the environmental, financial and heritage sustainability of York Minster for many years to come and the Trustees’ support has played a key part in enabling this to happen.”

Philippa Charles, director of The Garfield Weston Foundation, said: “We are delighted to support the state-of-the-art training facilities and affordable trainee accommodation provided at the York Minster Centre for Excellence. In a time of dwindling numbers of heritage craft practitioners learning the skills required to preserve and maintain beautiful historic buildings such as York Minster, we are delighted to help support this important project. We look forward to seeing the Centre develop.”
 

A.W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service – an East Midlands-based funeral directors, established in 1907 – has been given permission to build a modern burial mound site in Calverton, Nottinghamshire. It will be the first of its kind in the area.

Known as barrows, these mounds will be handcrafted in stone and represent one of the oldest funeral traditions in Britain and will be inspired by ancient monuments, which were once commonplace. They will feature niches for cremated remains to be placed within, providing a peaceful setting for a service and final resting place.

The German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) has announced it has developed a new composite material containing natural stone, carbon fibres and biochar that could contribute to CO2-negative buildings.

Working in collaboration with TechnoCarbon Technologies, it is believed that the material will provide a lower carbon alternative to reinforced concrete. The premise of the project known as DACCUS-Pre* is to "develop a new building material that stores carbon in the long term and removes more CO2 from the atmosphere than is emitted during its production."      

Gabbro, a natural stone from India forms the exposed walls of the wall element which the research says has proven suitable for bearing high loads and silicate weathering of the rock dust "permanently binds a large amount of CO2 from the atmosphere."

Bio-based carbon fibres provide stability for the side walls and have low raw material costs while the biochar developed by Convoris GmbH provides thermal insulation 'filler' is believed to be a permanent source of CO2 storage.

A spokesperson on the project said: "The CO2 balance of a house wall made of the new material has been calculated and compared with that of conventional reinforced concrete. This results in a difference in the CO2 balance of 157 CO2 equivalents per square meter of house wall. A significant saving."

*Methods for removing atmospheric carbon dioxide (Carbon Dioxide Removal) by Direct Air Carbon Capture, Utilization and Sustainable Storage after Use (DACCUS).

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has designated April as Stress Awareness Month and, as part of its Working Minds campaign has called on employers to support workers' mental health by employing five simple tips. The Working Minds campaign offers tools and support to help businesses and workers including free online learning, Talking Toolkits, risk assessment templates and examples.

Throughout the five weeks of April, employers are encouraged to focus on one of the campaign’s 5 Rs for each week. They are: to Reach out and have conversations, Recognise the signs and causes of stress, Respond to any risks you’ve identified, Reflect on actions you’ve agreed and taken, and make it Routine.

Liz Goodwill, head of the work-related stress and mental health policy team at HSE, said: “We are inviting business owners, employers and managers to join others across Britain to make a difference during Stress Awareness Month in five steps.

"Failing to manage work-related stress can cost employers in reduced productivity, sickness absence costs, or even losing a valued member of the team. Employers are required to assess the risk of work-related stress impacting their workers, and act on the risks identified.

“As well as guiding you step by step, we provide all the practical templates, tools and resources you need to get started or, you can use it as an opportunity to review what you already do. A huge part of this is making it part of your everyday working life, not just a one-off tick box that gets forgotten about," added Liz.

HSE has identified six main areas that can lead to work-related stress if not managed properly: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. It was also agreed that factors including skills and experience, age or disability may all affect someone’s ability to cope.

Matt Powell-Howard, Head of Product Development at NEBOSH, said: “I’m really pleased that NEBOSH is supporting the Working Minds campaign as we are committed to promoting good mental health and preventing work-related stress.  We were delighted to have also collaborated with HSE on the development of the NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Managing Stress at Work qualification, which is designed to help business meet their legal obligations in this area.”

NMR Stone Limited is pleased to announce the successful acquisition of the trading business, Chichester Stoneworks (2022) Ltd which was placed in administration on 15 February 2024.

The team from NMR Stone including former Chichester Stoneworks managing director, Gemma Locke, and Brendan Cox, would like to take the opportunity to thank the industry for its continued support. Adam Stone will still be involved with NMR on a consultancy basis although he is now operating his own company, AMS Masonry Ltd.

Enquires can now be directed to info@nmrstone.co.uk

Cornwall College is exploring the potential of offering stonemasonry courses and delivery of apprenticeships and has approached Claire Wallbridge at Natural Stone Industry Training Group (NSITG) to invite feedback from members of the stone industry.

Currently, only four colleges in England offer stonemasonry courses – City of Bath College, Moulton College, Building Crafts College in London and York College – so the addition of a further college would help encourage more people to enter the stone industry.

Claire said: "The college have approached us for help gauging the industry’s appetite to have stone courses and apprenticeships delivered from their Cornish campuses. They would like to know if contractors would send candidates to the college for the Trailblazer Stone Apprenticeship and what type of apprenticeship they would want from the current offer of: heritage, exterior fixer, interior fixer, façade preservation, memorial mason and banker."

Those interested in offering their thoughts are also encouraged to consider if it would be beneficial for the college to deliver short courses to help with upskilling current workforce. Members of NSITG are currently working with CITB to develop content for short duration stone-related courses and these would be the basis of delivery and meet the eligibility critera for a CITB grant.

"We rarely get a college interested in supporting new delivery," added Claire "and this would be an opportunity for South West companies not having to travel all the way from Cornwall to the existing four colleges."

Please email Claire directly on claire@nsitg.org.uk to provide your feedback.
 

Work Health and Safety Ministers in Australia met on 22 March 2024 to discuss the draft amendments to the model WHS Regulations to give effect to the engineered stone ban. It was agreed that "the ban applies to engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs and that engineered stone be defined in the model WHS Regulations as an artificial product that contains at least 1% crystalline silica as a weight/weight concentration; is created by combining natural stone materials with other chemical constituents (such as water, resins, or pigments); and becomes hardened. 

Exclusions to the regulations are:

• Concrete and cement products 
• Bricks, pavers, and other similar blocks
• Ceramic wall and floor tiles
• Sintered stone
• Porcelain products 
• Roof tiles
• Grout, mortar, and render and plasterboard

Finished engineered stone products, such as garden ornaments and sinks which do not require processing or modification would be excluded from the ban. 

During the transitional period, WHS ministers agreed that "work involving the supply, installation or processing of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2024 are to be exempt from the prohibition if the work is carried out under, or for the purposes of, a contract entered into on or before 31 December 2023."

To find out more, visit Safe Work Australia 

The Civic Trust Awards recently celebrated its 65th Anniversary with an awards ceremony held at The Concorde Conference Centre, Altrincham. More than 320 projects were entered from across the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and USA, reflecting the schemes continuing international reach. Following an extensive assessment process, 140 projects were recognised as Regional Finalists and from these, 68 were presented with National/International Awards or were Highly Commended by the Civic Trust Awards, Pro-Tem Awards, AABC Conservation Awards and Selwyn Goldsmith Awards for Universal Design. 

An awards ceremony, which took place on 22 March saw 350 architects, council leaders and built environment professionals from all over the world come together to celebrate the outstanding achievements of those who have contributed to our communities through their work in architecture, urban design, planning, public realm and public art.

The 2024 winners included:

• 20-23 Greville Street, Camden, Greater London by Groupwork
• Clifford's Tower, York, Yorkshire by Hugh Broughton Architects & Martin Ashley Architects
• Croft 3, Isle of Mull, Scotland by fardaa
• Gainsborough's House, Babergh, Eastern by ZMMA
• Hay Castle, Powys, Wales by MICA Architects
• Hope Street, Southampton, South West by Snug Architects
• REWE Green Farming, Wiesbaden, Germany by ACME
• Hardwick Old Hall, Chesterfield, East Midlands by Donald Insall Associates
• Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, Shropshire, West Midlands by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

A further six highly coveted Special Awards were given to schemes which have demonstrated truly outstanding work in a specific field. All projects of National/International award-winning standard were considered for each of the Special Awards by National Judging Panel members who determined the individual winners.

• National Panel Special Award: Selected by National Judging Panel Members as the exemplar scheme from the year’s award-winning projects – New Temple Complex by James Gorst Architects for The White Eagle Lodge.
• Special Award for Sustainability: Presented to an exemplar project, that demonstrates excellent sustainability credentials in terms of overall design parameters, material selection, construction methods and long-term energy consumption. Sponsored by Derwent London – New Temple Complex by James Gorst Architects for The White Eagle Lodge
• Special Award for Reuse & Adaptation: Presented to an exceptional scheme that would otherwise be left to decay or be demolished to address present-day needs. The scheme should benefit the community and its users by maintaining its cultural heritage or restoring a culturally significant site, ensuring its viability for new uses and modern functions. Sponsored by EPR Architects – Tower Hamlets Town Hall by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris for London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
• Special Award for Education: Presented to an exemplar education building which inspires creativity, independence, and a love of learning. Designed to nurture the intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of students and to meet and exceed the needs of staff. Sponsored by BlueLight Management – Alfreton Park School by Curl la Tourelle Head Architecture for Derbyshire County Council
• Special Award for Community Impact & Engagement: Presented to an exceptional scheme that has demonstrated how successful community engagement can help deliver the highest standards of design whilst meeting the needs of local people – Roundhouse Works by Paddy Dillon Architects with Reed Watts Architects for Roundhouse Trust
• Michael Middleton Special Award: Presented as a memorial and tribute to Michael Middleton CBE, who established the Civic Trust Awards in 1959, to an outstanding restoration project or new build within a conservation area – Bokšto Skveras by Studio Seilern Architects and UAB Archinova for Baltisches Haus