With the Stone & Surfaces Show on the horizon in May 2026, we begin to turn our attention to what to look out for in the year ahead. Led by the programme of panel discussions, presentations, CPDs, films and photography exhibitions that are set to light up the event at ExCeL London, here are five mega-trends in architecture and design are set to evolve and come into focus in 2026. 

Stone Demonstrator

Load-bearing stone in construction

Stone will increasingly be seen as a viable, low-carbon alternative to concrete and steel. 

Over the last couple of years, campaigning initiative The Stone Collective and installations showcasing stone bricks at Clerkenwell Design Week have championed its versatility, beauty and strength. In 2025, The Stone Demonstrator at Earls Court and a research paper from the University of Bath urged architects and developers to recognise stone’s massive potential beyond paving, flooring and cladding. 

The narrative continues to move from inspiration to information in 2026, with the launch of a RIBA-sponsored research platform for indigenous British stone developed by a collaborative team made up of Allies & Morrison, the Stone Federation and Webb Yates. A group exhibition focused on stone and sustainability at London’s landmark 1 Poultry building entitled What lasts doesn’t always hold shape will include talks that aim to break down barriers to specifying stone in construction at scale. Cost consultants are invited to a conversation with stone contractors and architects, and a panel discussion on spolia will be led by the Stone Collective. 

Foresso

Biophilia 2.0

The benefits of biophilic design are well-established in both domestic and commercial interiors, but it is evolving beyond green walls, snake plants and sunlight. Interior designers are discovering bio-based and geo-sourced materials, and are turning to natural surfaces like wood, bamboo, rattan, jute and wool which improve acoustics as well as well-being. Cork is enjoying a moment in the spotlight since a high-profile, immersive installation at Milan Design Week 2025 showcased it as sustainable material that can be used as tiles, wallcoverings and even furnishings. 

Ethical supply chains

When it comes to sustainability, there are a whole host of frameworks that monitor the component parts and performance of the materials we specify. We’re familiar with EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations), LCAs (Life Cycle Assessments) and CPRs (Construction Products Regulations), but in some jurisdictions there is little to protect the people who made the products and materials we purchase from forced labour and modern slavery. Now there are growing calls to regulate the human face of provenance. 

Smile Materials

Circularity closes the loop

Circularity is reframing sustainability from a focus on end-of-life recycling to a broader consideration of longevity, reuse and intelligent material management. For surface materials, this means moving away from short-term trends, designing products and buildings that prioritise durability and repairability, and improving the ease of disassembly and re-finishing. Natural and engineered surfaces alike are increasingly being specified for their ability to be reclaimed, resized, resurfaced or repurposed, reducing reliance on virgin resources.

Agata Murasko

The Augmented Architect

AI is shifting the role of architects beyond drafting and the drudgery of compliance. It will increasingly automate and fast-track structural logic, costing, constructability and energy performance, allowing them to take on a more experimental and curatorial role. Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry used computers to break geometry and liberate form. AI will empower architects to create an entirely new vernacular that could redefine the built environment.

A Fresh Vision for the Future 

 

“Our 2026 rebrand champions innovation and celebrates stone, surfaces, materials and the technologies shaping the future of construction, design and architecture,” said Sam Patel, Director of The Stone & Surfaces Show. “Our schedule of talks, presentations, installations and exhibitions will offer a platform to discuss opportunities and challenges for the sector, bringing new energy and opportunities to connect.” 

Join us 12-14 May at ExCel London - register for The Stone & Surfaces Show for free, visit https://forms.reg.buzz/ukcw-london-and-stone-show-2026/pr

The Stone & Surfaces Show will also be co-located with UK Construction Week London and visitors will be able to gain access to both events during their visit. 

For more information, visit www.stoneandsurfaces.co.uk or follow @StoneSurfacesShow on social media.  

Becca Cranfield is a director of Athena Stonecare, a leading stone restoration company serving the Home Counties and the South of England. With specialist expertise across marble, limestone, travertine, granite and other natural stones, Becca and the team are committed to ensuring stone surfaces endure beautifully. A former Women in Natural Stone Chair, we caught up with Becca to find out what makes her tick.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I’m a morning person, which many people will know from the 5am emails that land in their inbox! I’m the most creative first thing and so I’ll usually focus on some project work. This could be writing blogs or social media posts, creating a new system for the team to use on-site, or conducting business analysis. I tend to head out to the gym for a break around 9 am. I’ll then have a few hours focused on being reactive - answering client emails and calls, posting on our social media story and checking in with the team to see how their job is progressing. The rest of my day is either spent networking or in meeting with other businesses that we collaborate and partner with. Being a small business means that I look after everything that doesn’t involve doing the actual work. I add content to the website, review our RAMS, build and maintain relationships with our referral partners and create all of the content for social media. 

How integral are materials/surfaces to your day-to-day? 

All of our work is centered on natural stone. We restore and maintain any stone surface that is found inside a building. Around 70% of our work is floors and this is usually limestone, marble or travertine, although we do also work with sandstone, slate and granite. The rest of our services focus on worktops and bathrooms and typically this will be marble. 

What are the biggest lessons you have taken forward from your original training? / How has your education informed your career?

Before I joined Dave at Athena Stonecare, I was working in the charity sector. My career has been varied but always focused on income generation/ strategic growth. My first role was at a small national charity where I worked my way up from being a Community Fundraising Assistant to managing HNW donors. This is where I also learned my plate spinning skills. In a small team, I could be hosting an evening at Bonhams one day and then creating new database the next. I learned basic wordpress, social media content writing and importantly relationship building skills too. I took this forwards into my role at a larger national charity as a Business Development specialist creating partnerships with brands that could strategically align with the cause. My latter roles were back in small charities as Head of Fundraising, driving the strategic direction of the team. These combined experiences put me in a good position to grow Athena Stonecare from a business point of view. The biggest gap in my knowledge when I came into the industry was the crucial need to know about stone! That is why when I first started, my role was split between laying the foundations for growth behind the scenes and working on the tools. My first 6 months saw me working 50% of my time on site with Dave. It gave me a real insight not only into how we do the work but also our client base too.

Which project/s are you most proud of being involved with and why?

Although most of our work is with private clients, we’ve also been involved in a number of Church projects. These are always a little more special as they mean something to an entire community. Usually the brief is around restoring an older part of the marble or limestone floor to match in with some new tiles that have had to be added as part of a renovation project. One that always stays in mind is Pershore Abbey. Dave feel so much in love with the place and the warm welcome that we actually spent Christmas there the year that the work finished and even had his new wedding ring (long story!) blessed by the vicar on Christmas Eve. 

What do you feel are the main challenges facing the stone and surfaces industry today?

In our part of the industry, it is a lack of knowledge. The very nature of our work is that we come across a lot of people who have installed stone in their home and have not looked after it properly. Many clients will have never been given any information on how to clean or maintain the stone when they buy it. This can then lead to the misconception that stone is difficult to live with/ should be avoided. However, it is actually just as easy to look after as any other surface as long as you know how. This is why we created our Athena Aftercare guide that gives homeowners a clear overview of how to care for all stone surfaces in their home. This is now distributed through stone suppliers for us as the point of purchase. We love working closely with stone suppliers who share this ethos of preventive maintenance. It can benefit the entire industry if we make sure that anyone using stone can do so with the right knowledge and fall in love with the material.  

In your opinion, what are the positives of using stone in the built environment? 

It is durable and timeless. As simple as that. If you walk the streets of Rome, you’ll see travertine and marble everywhere. It doesn’t need to be perfect to be beautiful, in fact, the more wear a surface has it creates a patina that tells the story of that stone in your home. We see clients who renovate and decorate their homes countless times and the stone remains. It will never go out of fashion and there are so many different ways to make it bespoke and personal to a project too. The fact that there is no two pieces of natural stone that are exactly the same makes it pretty special. 

How does sustainability shape your thinking and decision-making, and how do materials fit into this?

Our business feeds into the sustainability conversation as we are restoring only existing stone surfaces. At least half of our work is for clients who are renovating and want to keep their existing stone rather than replacing it. Being able to grind and refinish a stone floor to look new again is not only cost-effective but reduces waste and gives the existing material a new lease of life. We take great pride in being able to ensure that the stone in a client’s home will last forever.

Stone mason Roger Stephens has turned a potential nemesis into his muse for a series of sculptures produced for the One Island, Many Visions exhibition at the Portland Sculpture & Quarry Trust in Dorset earlier this year. 

Lamprocyclas Maritalis

The milky white, marble structures, which have organic openings, are representations of Lamprocyclas Maritalis, a single-cell marine organism, with intricate silica skeletons. They are also the main constituent of “Chert”, a stone masons’ nightmare, which occur as individual nodules or beds in limestone. As Roger describes, “Chert consists of siliceous fossils that die, sink to the seabed and precipitate in between shell fragments, to become hard-bedded rock nodules. In rare cases, a Medieval stone mason would leave the chert nodule protruding from the surface of the worked stone. This was long before diamond saws and tungsten chisels.” In creating scaled-up versions of these once pesky forms, the sculptor excorises those demons with his application of such modern tools. 

Campylodiscus Hibernicus

Roger produced another set of stone sculptures for the exhibition, this time in alabaster, and in celebration of the mini but mighty Diatom. A single-cell algae with a silica casing that occurs worldwide in salt and fresh water, and anywhere that is damp, Campylodiscus Hibernicus, is so numerous that it contributes 20-50% of the world’s oxygen and carbon capture. Here’s to more Diatoms!

There are few in the A&D community who haven’t heard of Smile Plastics. You may even think you already know all there is to know about the company. But a recent change of the long-standing company name to Smile Materials is indicative of an ever-evolving brand, and its current product offering may be even more extensive and less recognisable than you think.

Smile has never followed the conventional path. At a time when more than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually, and less than 10 percent ever find their way into the recycling stream, the Swansea-based manufacturer has made it its business to turn the industry’s problem into a design opportunity. What began as an early experiment in plastics recycling in the 1990s has evolved, after a 2015 revival, into one of the clearest working models of circular surface manufacturing. 

Image Credit: Nikolaj Thaning Rentzmann

Many of the panels are instantly recognisable with distinctive surface patterns that include high-contrast speckles and expressive, maximalist compositions, all made from carefully sorted post-consumer plastic waste. From yoghurt pots, white goods, food packaging, and medical plastics, what were once considered as valueless waste are instead saved from landfill and incineration.

Image Credit: Handover

The team intercepts such plastics, bringing in material from more than 60 local businesses, some further afield, and sorts every piece by polymer type, colour, grade and material characteristic. Much of the sorting and preparation is done by hand, not out of nostalgia, but because tactility and judgement matter when you are handling materials this varied. Once sorted, they’re shredded, heated and pressed, transforming into a sheet material that can be cut, jointed, drilled and thermoformed for interior applications, including, counters, shower walling, furniture and signage. 

Image Credit: Paolo Carvalho

Design plays a big part in the company’s development, and as the team suggests, a surface that openly expresses its origins has the potential to change perception far more effectively than a datasheet ever could. And, their ambitions have clearly grown, with an abundance of new products in the offering that widens the spectrum of colours, patterns and thicknesses available to designers. But these developments haven’t appeared from thin air, and in fact, listening to their client base has played a vital role, as cofounder and creative director Rosalie McMillan explains: 

 “Our transition from Smile Plastics to Smile Materials reflects something simple: the industry asked for more from us, and we listened. Over the past year, we’ve moved beyond just offering recycled plastics to introduce recycled denim materials, and in the New Year we’ll be launching Smile Minerals – an entirely new category for us. These developments come directly from conversations with designers, manufacturers, and fabricators who told us they needed circular materials with broader applications, more personality, and more room for guided customisation.”

Moving forward their products will be split into three distinct material families: Smile Plastics, Smile Fibres and Smile Minerals. The original recycled-plastic panels remain at the heart of the operation, but Smile Fibres introduces a new language altogether. Made from textile and fibre waste, the launch collection begins with Blue Denim and Loom, two expressive, bioresin-bonded surfaces created in collaboration with a specialist manufacturing partner. Blue Denim repurposes post-consumer jeans, capitalising on the inherent durability and long lifespan of the original textile. Loom, made from shredded cotton offcuts and colourful trimmings, is light and speckled, reminiscent of paper pulp or confetti. The newest collection, Smile Minerals,  is inspired by the natural world – more information will be revealed when this is launched in 2026.

These new developments further underline that what continues to make Smile Material so compelling to specifiers is not only its character and workability, but its promise of genuine circularity. Rosalie emphasises this point, “As we grow our offering, we’re committed to keeping the same principles we began with: transparency, curiosity, and the belief that circular solutions should be both practical and inspiring. Our aim isn’t just to supply materials at scale; it’s to help shape where the sector goes next.”

Image Credit: Jurgen Jacob Lodder

As true as ever, every Smile panel is made from recycled materials and designed with both aesthetics and durability in mind. What’s more, the factory operates with bespoke, low-energy equipment that uses only a fraction of the power associated with traditional plastics processing. Today, clients can even send end-of-life panels back to Swansea, cleaned of fixings and adhesives, for reprocessing through the company’s buy-back scheme. 

And as the materials palette widens, the ambition remains the same: to challenge the idea of waste entirely and to build material systems designed not for a single life, but for infinite ones.

Solve the model and plastic becomes a resource, not a problem.

Barnsley-based KBI UK has carved out a distinct place in the UK surfacing landscape since its formation in 2010, when it began supplying the British market with Flexipave, the porous surfacing system originally pioneered in the United States. From those early days, the business has steadily scaled into a national operation. A network of specialist installers now works alongside an expanded internal team, and the product portfolio has grown with them, with Flexistone arriving in 2012 to meet demand for a vehicular-grade porous surface, followed more recently by the R&D-led introductions of Flexifix, Flexiglo and Flexiglass.

A major milestone came in 2020, when KBI relocated from Halifax to purpose-built headquarters in Barnsley. Despite the challenges of a global pandemic, the move provided increased manufacturing capacity, improved motorway access and modern warehousing, placing the company in a stronger position to service the growing appetite for sustainable, permeable paving. 

Today, KBI systems are specified by housebuilders, local authorities, utilities, engineers, architects, golf courses, and leisure destinations, to name a few. Central to that broad appeal is the business’s long-held focus on sustainability. Flexipave incorporates recycled vehicle tyres as a key component, and some major schemes have diverted the equivalent of more than 15,000 tyres from incineration, preventing hundreds of thousands of kilograms of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere. This ethos underpins the company’s Green Partnership programme, which recognises clients who use Flexipave to support environmental goals.

It was this blend of technical expertise and purpose-led practice that recently aligned KBI with one of the North’s most significant healthcare projects: the new Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease in Leeds. Officially opened by Prince William, the centre has become a symbol of compassion, community support and the powerful legacy of the late Leeds Rhinos legend. Designed by Leeds-based landscape architects Re-Form and built by principal contractor I&G Ltd, the project sought partners able to contribute specialist skills on a charitable basis. 

The company delivered 440m² of resin-bound surfacing, in an elegant Evening Rose blend supplied by long-term materials partner Vuba, across both the north and south elevations of the building. The installation supports accessible movement around the main entrance and weaves through the sensory garden and outdoor areas designed for patients and families. A dedicated five-person team carried out the works, including Anthony Irvine, former KBI project manager and now strategic partner, who once shared the pitch with Rob Burrow at Leeds.

“This project means a lot to us on both a personal and professional level,” said Graham Pell, Managing Director of KBI UK. “It’s a privilege to have contributed to such a vital and compassionate space. We’re grateful to Re-Form and I&G for involving us, and proud to support the legacy of a centre that will bring comfort, care, and community to so many.”

Commissioned by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and funded through Leeds Hospitals Charity’s £6.8 million appeal, the centre consolidates MND treatment, research and support services under one roof. Outdoor spaces, where materials and detailing play a critical therapeutic role, were an important consideration from the outset.

For KBI, the scheme reflects the kind of outcome the company has built its reputation upon: sustainable materials deployed with technical precision, contributing to places that are both purposeful and sensitively designed.

Stone Federation Great Britain has opened entries for the Natural Stone Awards 2026, the biennial programme that showcases exemplary natural stone projects from across the UK. Recognised as one of the sector’s most prominent awards initiatives, it highlights the breadth of applications possible with natural stone and its value as a sustainable, durable and visually compelling building material.

Entries are welcomed from any project stakeholder, including architects, main contractors, stone contractors, suppliers, clients and building owners. Last year’s winners include the restoration of The Bank Buildings by Hall Black Douglas Architects and the redesign of Rhodes House, Oxford, by Stanton Williams Architects. This year introduces new categories, notably Structural Stone and Reuse & Retrofit, broadening participation across the industry.

The Bank Buildings

Stone Federation Chief Executive Jane Buxey said, “We are encouraging all those involved in the natural stone industry to enter their projects into the Natural Stone Awards 2026. This is a great opportunity to gain widespread recognition for your practice or company and products or services that you provide.”

Rhodes House

Categories:
External Stone Cladding (Precast/Rainscreen/Traditional Handset)
New Build Structural Stone, Loadbearing & Hybrid
Reuse & Retrofit
Repair & Restoration (Historic/Ecclesiastical)
Stone Conservation
Interiors (Residential)
Interiors (Commercial)

Projects can be entered digitally. The entry form is available at www.bit.ly/AwardsEntry26

Another example of the creative and insightful work on display during this year's One Island, Many Visions exhibition and symposium, Chris Summerfield’s inventive sculptures breathe new life into Portland Stone.

One of 27 artists from the Royal Society of Sculptors, who made work for the Portland Sculpture & Quarry Trust event, Chris explored stone waste to create his own imagined fossil forms. A graduate of the Royal College of Arts and former assistant to Henry Moore , his work is essentially Biomorphic, and often hybridised with mechanical forms. At the core of his practice has been his lifelong response to the natural world and its relationship with human interventions and its stimuli for design, architecture and manufacturing. 

As opposed to seeking sizeable lumps of stone to carve into these beguiling, mutated forms, Chris chose to recycle remnants from a local community carving project, which he combined with Portland Cement to fill his fossil moulds.    

Andrew Waugh is one of the founders of London-based Waugh Thistleton Architects. Along with Anthony Thistleton and the extended team, the practice produce a wide range of building types, both in the UK and internationally. They are world leaders in engineered timber, pioneering tall timber buildings, including the renowned Black and White Building.

What does a typical day look like for you?

There is no such thing!! I travel quite a lot – we have projects in the US and across Europe, so I’m too often in an airport. But actually, travel has become my thinking time – so that’s enjoyable! When I’m in the studio it’s a mix of meetings and design reviews and is usually pretty full on! And then once in a while I end up in our local pub with Anthony.

Image Credit: Will Pryce

How integral are materials/surfaces to your day-to-day? 

The studio is bursting with samples – there are pieces of timber, lumps of stone – window sections on every shelf and spare corner! I remember as a kid I loved visiting DIY stores – even now, I’m still excited by the incredible potential of all those things to buy!

We do have tremendous amount of timber in the studio – we get sent samples from from around the world from manufacturers whenever they do something new, and we have sections of beams, walls and floor slabs from various projects.

What are the biggest lessons you have taken forward from your original training?

I think that my biggest take away from Architecture School was a strong sense of direction – that it is not enough to react to problems or briefs but that you should be pro-active, find the projects that you want and have a clear set of principles to apply. What’s your ethos!? Also, an important teacher told me always be an architect, never be a salesperson, a politician or a builder. Remember what you do and always prioritize. 

Image Credit: Lewis Kahn

Which project/s are you most proud of being involved with and why?

Rather than anyone project, I am most proud of our progress as a practice. Each project adds to our knowledge and our understanding of architecture and seen together there feels a real sense of achievement. But… if I had to pick it would be our Prayer Halls at Bushey Cemetery. We worked with the community for 10 years and I feel incredibly close to the project – and they really love the buildings!

Image Credit: Jim Stephenson

What do you feel are the main challenges facing the construction industry today?

Architecture is always a direct reflection of the societies it serves – a society in trouble is writ large in its architecture. So affordability, climate crisis, AI - all these are issues we face in every aspect of our work. 

In your opinion, what are the positives of using timber in the built environment? 

So many!! It is a readily available low-carbon technology that we can scale, it is easy to re-use and recycle, it is fast and accurate to build with, its light weight, and it has the potential to produce healthy, happy beautiful architecture that can deliver a better future! 

How does sustainability shape your thinking and decision-making, and how do materials fit into this?

It shapes all our thinking. Buildings generate carbon emissions in two main ways: through the carbon used to produce materials and construct them, and through the energy required to heat, cool and power them. This operational carbon is measured over 60 years, and when expressed as a single figure it can appear large, but the carbon released in making the materials, the embodied carbon, is both highly energy-intensive and immediate.

This embodied carbon is where we focus our efforts. Our aim is to transform architecture by prioritising bio-based and low-carbon materials, and by recognising the direct impact that our design decisions have on the climate crisis.

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) has released a four-part online CPD series, New Ideas for Old Buildings, following its recent SPAB–STBA conference on the pressures facing traditional and historic buildings. The talks address climate challenges, emerging technologies, skills shortages and economic pressures, while highlighting how heritage techniques continue to inform modern practice.

Aimed at building professionals, students and anyone with an interest in conservation, the sessions offer practical insight into current research and project work across the sector. Details fo each talk are as follows:

Technology and Tradition: Using Digital Tools to Support the Traditional Woodcarving Process with Matt Bateman and Greg Meeson, Refinery Studio

Matt Bateman, a conservation joiner and woodcarver, teams up with digital artist Greg Meeson of Refinery Studio to demonstrate how CGI and digital modelling can aid the repair of carved timber features. Their award-winning workflow blends technology with hand skills, improving efficiency without displacing traditional craftsmanship.

Using Site Excavated Subsoil to Make Earth Blocks for Building Construction with Nikolay Shahpazov, Bennetts Associates

Bennetts Associates’ Nikolay Shahpazov presents the Tribeca development at King’s Cross, where subsoil excavated on site was transformed into earth blocks for the London BioScience Innovation Centre. The material, used at unprecedented scale in the UK, emits around one-tenth of the CO₂ of cement alternatives, pointing to new opportunities for low-carbon construction rooted in long-standing building traditions.

A Lime Seamless Floor at the Royal Hospital Chelsea: An Experimental Approach with Laura Morgante, Peregrine Bryant Architects

Laura Morgante of Peregrine Bryant Architects outlines the creation of a seamless lime floor in the Royal Hospital Chelsea’s Stable Block. Inspired by the Venetian ‘cocciopesto’ technique, which dates back to Roman times, the breathable, durable flooring offers a sustainable alternative for future projects, despite being relatively rare in the UK.

Light Touch to Old Buildings: New Ideas at the Old House Project with Jonathan Garlick, SPAB and Mal Fryer, Malcolm Fryer Architects

Architect Mal Fryer and SPAB project manager Jonny Garlick discuss recent interventions at St Andrew’s Chapel, Boxley. Their presentation covers the project’s rammed-earth wall and new oak walkway, designed to connect historic fabric with modern needs while offering acoustic protection for the site. The team also examines conservation challenges posed by the rediscovery of an ornate doorway previously concealed behind a fireplace.

 These online CPD sessions are £10 each and can be bought individually or as a package of four at the discounted price of £30.

All four CPD recordings are available through the SPAB website

As the National Gallery celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2024, its NG200 programme set out not only to mark the milestone but to future-proof one of the world’s most visited cultural institutions. Central to the transformation were major interventions to the Grade I listed Wilkins Building and the Sainsbury Wing - works that brought Szerelmey back to Trafalgar Square for the first time since 1996, a return the company describes as “a privilege”.

The gallery’s story began in 1824 with John Julius Angerstein’s donation of 38 paintings. Since opening its Wilkins-designed home in 1838, the institution has grown into one of the world’s leading collections, housing more than 2,300 artworks. In May 2024, NG200 set out to improve both the visitor journey and the spaces that support it.

Much of Szerelmey’s contribution focused on reworking the Sainsbury Wing entrance. Their involvement began during demolition by others, providing enabling works and stone removal to allow new openings through the internals and basement link. One of the most technically demanding tasks was creating the new slab edge to the foyer in Gascoigne Blue limestone. The flamed finish, large curved units and extremely tight working conditions required mini floor cranes projecting over the edge to position each piece.

The existing column arrangement was also overhauled. Several columns were removed, cleaned, extended by a full storey and reinstated; a new double-height column in French Chamesson limestone was installed, supported by a full steel and Unistrut backing structure designed by Szerelmey. Twelve Pietra Serena single-height columns with a bush-hammered finish completed the revised rhythm across the ground floor, level 1 and basement.

Dismantling one of the original atrium columns revealed a surprise: a letter hidden inside by the late Lord Sainsbury. It noted that if discovered, it meant the “unnecessary” columns had finally been removed—much to his satisfaction. His son Mark later explained that the letter dated back to a disagreement between Lord Sainsbury and architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, placed there “as a way of keeping the peace.”

With the new layout established, Szerelmey installed two storeys of Chamesson limestone cladding along the Whitcomb Street internal façade, complete with rusticated profiles matched to existing stonework. Historic walls and floors were cleaned, repaired and restored, while extensive new Gascoigne Blue limestone flooring was laid through the reception, basement and link. WC areas received hand-finished terrazzo with bespoke stainless-steel shadow gaps and moulded skirtings, along with complementary ceramic tiling.

The scheme also drove a new subterranean link beneath the Jubilee Walk, connecting the Sainsbury Wing basement with the Wilkins Building. Szerelmey supported the structural work with temporary stone removal and reinstatement, before installing Chamesson limestone cladding and a suspended stone soffit. The Jubilee Walk bottle balustrade was removed, refurbished and reinstated, while Sainsbury Wing signage was refreshed and rehomed on a new SFS background with newly carved entrance lettering.

Outside, to the front of the Wilkins Building, Grizelda’s Garden, named after the long-serving Gallery assistant Grizelda Grimond, has been completely reshaped. The soft bank and lawn wall were replaced with a new curved wall built largely from salvaged stone, opening up views and access. Stonework around the façade was dismantled and reused to accommodate a new entrance formed in Jordans Basebed Portland stone, tied into the historic fabric with a decorative lintel and adapted spandrel. Steel supports for blast-proof glazing were added, and two 4-tonne precast benches in reclaimed Portland stone now anchor the newly paved garden.

The result is a reimagined arrival sequence for visitors and a sensitive update to one of London’s most iconic public institutions—delivered through a blend of new stone, reclaimed material and meticulous conservation craftsmanship.

All photographs courtesy of The National Gallery