Few people understand the relationship between material, craft and time quite like a stone sculptor. In this Insights piece, Zoë Wilson draws on her experience as a sculptor and historic stone carver to reflect on the enduring qualities of British stone, the importance of traditional craftsmanship and why working slowly with natural materials continues to offer valuable lessons for both contemporary design and the wider built environment.

What does a typical day look like for you?

No two days are ever quite the same, which is one of the things I love about being a sculptor. If I’m in the studio, my day is usually spent carving by hand using a mallet and chisel. I work almost exclusively with British stone, and because each piece takes weeks or months to complete, much of my time is spent slowly developing intricate geometric patterns directly into the surface.

Alongside the making, there is the less visible side of running a creative business. I spend time drawing new designs, photographing work, talking to collectors, planning exhibitions, teaching stone carving workshops and sharing the process through social media. Research also plays a significant role in my practice. I am continually studying geometry, pattern and historic carving traditions to develop new ideas.

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

Materials are at the heart of everything I do. I spend most days handling stone, studying its character and responding to the individual qualities of each block before I begin carving.

Working with British stone holds a particular significance for me. There is something deeply meaningful about using materials that come from the landscapes I am part of. Each piece carries a sense of place, history and continuity, and I feel a strong connection to the generations of craftspeople who have worked with these same materials before me. It also allows me to support local quarries and celebrate the diversity of stone found across the UK.

Although my finished sculptures often appear highly precise, I never want the natural beauty of the stone to disappear. The geology, colour, fossil content and texture all influence the finished piece, and I often find that unexpected details emerge along the way, like lovely surprises that contribute to the final work without being planned.

I also spend a great deal of time talking about stone with collectors, architects, designers and students. I enjoy helping people understand that stone is far more than a construction material. It is a remarkable medium with an extraordinary history, permanence and beauty that can connect people to both landscape and craftsmanship.

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

My route into sculpture has been quite varied. I originally studied Fine Art, specialising in painting, before training as a stonemason, then as a letter carver, and later completing a First Class Diploma in Historic Stone Carving at the City & Guilds of London Art School.

Each stage has shaped the way I work today. Fine Art taught me to think conceptually and to value composition, rhythm and visual balance. Stonemasonry gave me a deep respect for accuracy, materials and craftsmanship, lettercarving taught me chisel skills, while historic carving taught me patience and the importance of understanding traditional techniques before pushing them in new directions.

One of the greatest lessons was learning that precision and creativity are not opposites. Technical skill gives me the freedom to realise increasingly ambitious ideas.

Which projects are you most proud of being involved with and why?

There are several projects that have been particularly significant.

Working on the restoration of historic buildings, including the Houses of Parliament and St George’s Chapel, Windsor, gave me an enormous appreciation for the generations of craftspeople who have worked in stone before us. It was a privilege to contribute, even in a small way, to preserving that heritage.

Within my own artistic practice, I am particularly proud of a sculpture called Orbis. It represents a significant step forward in my exploration of geometry, where the carved pattern and the form of the sculpture become inseparable. It feels like the culmination of many years of research while also opening the door to an entirely new direction for my work.

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

One of the biggest challenges is helping people recognise the long-term value of natural stone. Initial cost often dominates decision-making, yet stone can last for centuries with relatively little maintenance, making it one of the most enduring building materials available.

There is also an important conversation around skills. Traditional stone carving and stonemasonry require years of training, and it is vital that opportunities continue to exist for young craftspeople to enter the profession. Without investment in those skills, we risk losing knowledge that has been passed down over generations.

Finally, I think there is an opportunity to broaden people’s perception of what stone can be. Alongside architecture and construction, there is enormous potential for contemporary artists and designers to continue pushing the material in exciting new directions.

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

Stone offers something very few modern materials can match. It combines durability, longevity and timeless beauty while ageing with dignity.

It also creates a strong connection to place. Every type of stone reflects the geology and history of the landscape from which it came, giving buildings a sense of identity that manufactured materials often cannot achieve. It is sympathetic to its surrounding environment and feels completely natural within it.

From a sensory perspective, stone brings warmth, texture and permanence. It encourages people to slow down and engage with a building through touch as well as sight. In an increasingly fast-moving world, I think that sense of permanence has become even more valuable.

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

Sustainability is central to my practice. Since 2019, I have worked exclusively with British stone, reducing transportation while supporting local quarries and celebrating the incredible range of materials available within the UK.

I also work almost entirely by hand, using only a mallet and chisel for my carving. This keeps energy consumption extremely low compared with many manufacturing processes and means each sculpture is created through time, skill and craftsmanship rather than heavy machinery. Working at this slower pace also means I spend a great deal of time on each individual piece of stone, rather than consuming large volumes of material, which naturally reduces waste and encourages a more considered use of resources.

Perhaps most importantly, I hope to make work that lasts. Stone has survived for thousands of years, and I like the idea that the sculptures I make today may still be appreciated by future generations. Creating objects with that longevity feels like one of the most sustainable approaches we can take.

Natural stone and richly detailed interior finishes play a central role in the repositioning of The Harewood, a boutique workplace by MoreySmith that reimagines an existing commercial building for today's West End office market.

Completed for J.P. Morgan Asset Management following its acquisition of the property in 2024, the 26,000ft² refurbishment transforms the former 2 Harewood Place into contemporary office accommodation while retaining the existing structure. Rather than replacing the building, the project focuses on upgrading and extending its working life, preserving embodied carbon while responding to growing demand for premium, sustainability-conscious workplaces in Mayfair.

For MoreySmith, the commission also marked a return to familiar territory. The practice had previously refurbished the building in 2010, and the latest intervention builds on that earlier work to reposition the address more firmly within Mayfair's evolving commercial landscape.

"Taking a building on the edge of Oxford Street and repositioning it as a Mayfair address is exactly the kind of challenge we relish," says founder Linda Morey-Burrows. "The strength of MoreySmith's architectural and creative team, combined with the residential sensibility of Studio Morey, has allowed us to create something genuinely distinctive."

While the architectural intervention remains deliberately restrained, materiality is used to reshape first impressions and elevate the experience of arrival. A soot-washed façade announces the building's renewed identity at street level before giving way to a marble-lined entrance portal that establishes a more tactile and refined character. Inside, stone continues to anchor the reception, where marble flooring is paired with a high-gloss burr walnut reception desk, deep green mosaic surfaces within the lift lobby, timber panelling, brass detailing and carefully considered lighting.

The palette draws on the language of high-end residential and hospitality interiors rather than conventional speculative office design, reflecting the increasing convergence of workplace and lifestyle environments.

Upper floors continue this approach through the introduction of a new marketing lounge and refurbished shared amenities, alongside upgraded office accommodation designed to appeal to occupiers seeking premium space in one of London's most competitive office locations.

For J.P. Morgan Asset Management, the refurbishment balances commercial ambition with a more sustainable approach to development. "Acquiring The Harewood gave us the opportunity to reintroduce a distinctive boutique asset into one of London's most in-demand office markets," says Charlie Garai of J.P. Morgan Asset Management. "The refurbishment has been executed with commercial intent, and we're confident it will attract tenants who value quality and location in equal measure."

Rather than pursuing wholesale redevelopment, the project demonstrates how careful refurbishment can deliver both environmental and commercial benefits. Retaining the existing structure reduces embodied carbon while allowing investment to focus on the quality of the spaces occupants experience most directly.

That strategy is reinforced through a material palette selected for longevity as much as appearance. Stone provides permanence and visual weight within the entrance sequence, while timber, brass and mosaic finishes introduce warmth and texture that soften the building's commercial character without compromising durability.

Jordan Adair of RX London believes that approach reflects a broader shift within the office market. "MoreySmith bring far more than design expertise to projects like this," he says. "The team has a deep understanding of the commercial property market and how occupiers respond to space, ensuring the design is fully aligned with leasing strategy and long-term value. Their sustainability-led approach — retaining and upgrading what's already there while delivering a genuinely high-end product — adds real commercial credibility."

Rather than relying on dramatic architectural gestures, The Harewood demonstrates how the considered specification of enduring materials can redefine an existing building. Through the use of natural stone, timber and finely crafted interior finishes, MoreySmith has created a workplace that feels rooted in its Mayfair setting while responding to changing expectations of quality, longevity and experience within the contemporary office market.

Images © Peter Landers

While Wimbledon may be drawing to a close, the latest racket-and-ball-based craze has steadily been steering attention away from tennis and onto a whole new form of indoor activity. As the UK finally catches up with the rest of Europe in realising padel’s credentials, new infrastructure is being rapidly built to keep up with demand.

That’s good news for surface brands such as engineered timber surfaces supplier Havwoods, who have been specified throughout SMASH. Designed by THG Studios, this new immersive padel venue in Manchester acts as a hybrid environment for sport, content creation and live events.

The project brings together high-performance gameplay and production-led spatial design within a single interior, with timber playing a key role in balancing durability, acoustics and visual warmth. Havwoods’ Azur flooring from the PurePlank collection forms a consistent base throughout the venue, selected for its light tone and reflective quality to help counter the enclosed nature of the space and enhance the sense of openness.

Elsewhere, Fresato Oak veneer has been used to define key feature elements including the SMASH feature wall and Slazenger ball plinth. The profiled surface introduces texture and shadow, adding depth to vertical planes that shift subtly under changing light conditions. In more functional areas, Hushwood Natural Oak has been specified for the equipment display and sports recovery bar, where its acoustic properties help moderate sound levels generated by filming, events and gameplay.

Paul Moody, Global Digital & Marketing Director at Havwoods, says the project demonstrates how timber is being used beyond purely aesthetic applications.

"Projects such as SMASH demonstrate how timber can contribute far beyond aesthetics," he says. "Whether through flooring, textured wall surfaces or acoustic applications, wood helps introduce warmth, improve comfort and create a stronger connection between people and the spaces they use."

The SMASH project follows a period of broader activity for Havwoods, including this year’s Clerkenwell Design Week, where the company collaborated with Italian furniture brand True Design in its London showroom. The basement space was reconfigured as part of a three-day installation exploring the relationship between furniture, flooring and wall surfaces. The presentation ran throughout the festival and brought together a range of timber applications, from joinery and wall cladding to flooring systems, with an emphasis on material continuity across interior environments.

Alongside its project work, Havwoods has also introduced its latest WoodBook, a curated overview of recent product developments, collections and design applications that reflects the scale of its expanding portfolio. The publication includes updates across both the Henley and Venture Plank ranges, as well as the introduction of Patterna, a new collection that reinterprets end-grain timber as a series of geometric, customisable surface patterns including Chevron, Grid, Sailboat and Ladder.

Manufactured from responsibly sourced timber, Patterna exposes the densest part of the wood through cross-cut sections, combining durability with a distinctive visual texture. New colourways across the Henley range are also introduced, inspired by traditional timber vessels used in the storage and transport of liquids, while Venture Plank has been extended with a wider family of walnut products across multiple formats and laying patterns.

Havwoods also continues to expand its bespoke laser-cutting service, allowing designers to develop highly customised timber surfaces that integrate multiple species and complex geometric layouts across flooring, wall and joinery applications.

Good news for circularity fans! Low Carbon Industrial has introduced Stelapop to the UK architecture and design market, bringing a circular sheet material manufactured from reclaimed post-industrial denim to architects, interior designers and specifiers.

Developed in partnership with Saitex, one of the world's largest denim manufacturers, Stelapop transforms unavoidable textile waste generated during the production of jeans into a durable interior surface material. While Saitex has spent decades redesigning its manufacturing processes around circularity, cutting and finishing fabric inevitably produces offcuts, and a small proportion of garments fail quality control and cannot be repaired. Rather than entering the waste stream, this material is reprocessed into architectural panels.

Each 5mm-thick sheet comprises 70% reclaimed denim, combined with a water-based binder and natural rubber before being finished with a matte protective lacquer. According to the companies, a single panel incorporates around 14kg of textile waste, equivalent to approximately 35 pairs of jeans diverted from landfill.

For Low Carbon Industrial, the launch reflects a broader focus on materials whose value is defined as much by their provenance and manufacture as by their appearance.

"The core of our design philosophy has always been that materials are defined by how they are made and what they are made from," says Conor Taylor of Low Carbon Industrial. "Few materials embody this more than Stelapop, made from unavoidable post-industrial denim waste, and we're delighted to bring it to British architects and designers for the first time."

Although derived from textile waste, the panels offer a distinctive visual quality. The reclaimed fibres create subtle variations in tone and texture that shift under changing light, producing a surface with an unexpectedly mineral-like character despite its textile origins. Stelapop is available in six colourways ranging from pale blue-grey through to near black.

Designed for interior applications, the material can be cut, drilled and routed using conventional woodworking equipment, while scoring the reverse of the panel allows it to be gently curved. Potential applications include wall linings, interior cladding, shelving, furniture and bespoke joinery, as well as the manufacture of smaller domestic objects such as trays and homewares.

What’s more, circularity also extends beyond manufacture, for rather than being discarded at the end of its service life, Stelapop panels are intended to be repaired and reused wherever possible, with remanufacture into new panels viewed as a final option once further reuse is no longer practical.

The launch reflects continued interest across the architectural materials sector in finding productive uses for industrial by-products that might otherwise become waste. Products such as Stelapop demonstrate how waste streams from other manufacturing industries are increasingly being reimagined as specification-grade surface materials, broadening the palette available to designers seeking lower-impact interior finishes.

Architect and researcher Giulliana Giorgi has been leading work on an online resource exploring the sourcing, use and potential of British stone within contemporary construction. Developed through the research project Unlocking Indigenous Stone Construction in the UK, the platform brings together mapping, research, and industry knowledge to help architects, specifiers and clients better understand the UK's geological resources and the opportunities for lower-carbon, locally sourced stone. 

The project emerged from a wider investigation into the barriers preventing greater use of indigenous stone in construction and was supported by the RIBA Scott Brownrigg Award for Sustainable Development. The UK possesses one of the most geologically diverse stone landscapes in Europe, yet the UK stone industry is highly fragmented and largely composed of small and medium-sized enterprises, including quarries, processors and specialist contractors. Working alongside architects from Allies and Morrison, structural engineers from Webb Yates and Stone Federation's Matt Robb, Giorgi's research seeks to connect geology, design, procurement, and sustainability through a more accessible understanding of the UK's stone landscape.

SS: What first prompted the idea for Indigenous Stone UK, and what were the main gaps in knowledge or accessibility that you felt the platform needed to address?

GG: The idea for the platform took shape in 2024. That summer, I took part in a hands-on workshop at the Building Crafts College, organised by UCL's Oliver Wilton, where together with engineers, artists, and stonemasons we designed, carved and built stone arches and rib vaults together. Conversations there pushed me to start asking broader questions about the UK's stone extraction landscape. Later that year, colleagues from the Climate Change Group at Allies and Morrison and I came across the RIBA Scott Brownrigg Award and began shaping a research agenda around indigenous stone.

Valuable resources already existed, although the information was fragmented and often difficult to navigate. Much like the industry itself, knowledge was dispersed across geology, quarrying, design, procurement, and construction, with very few points of connection between them.

It quickly became clear that the challenge, rather than a lack of available material, was a lack of shared understanding around specifying indigenous stone. So, the ambition was to provide a foundation of knowledge that could support better decisions and more meaningful conversations across the industry.

SS: The project brings together architecture, engineering and industry expertise. Could you outline the wider team behind the research and explain how those different perspectives shaped the development of the platform?

GG: I led the research, initiated through the RIBA Scott Brownrigg Award, in close collaboration with colleagues from the Climate Change Group at Allies and Morrison. Charlie Stuart led the RIBA Plan of Work overlay for stone construction and helped translate our roundtable findings into a clear industry roadmap. Sam Walters and Liam Kelly built the mapping platform and embodied carbon calculator. Webb Yates engineers Jenny Haines and Dan Cole brought structural performance and embodied carbon expertise that shaped the platform's technical content, while Stone Federation's Matt Robb gave us a direct line into quarrying, fabrication and supply chains, and helped open doors across the sector.

It was equally important to document the people and places behind the material. Through quarry visits, interviews and a documentary made with Daryia Cheremisina, we captured the local stories, expertise and challenges that shape the industry today.

Throughout, we kept refining the language and accessibility of the research itself, because it had to speak to multiple audiences at once - from the general public to technical specifiers. I think that the complementarity of perspectives is what made the project stand out.

SS: Mapping sits at the centre of the resource. What were some of the key challenges in gathering and organizing information about indigenous stone, and what do you hope users will take away from the map itself?

GG:  Valuable knowledge already existed, but it sat across geological surveys, trade organisations, quarry websites, and technical documents, and, perhaps most importantly, in the experience of quarry managers themselves. The challenge was pulling all of that into one coherent, accessible resource, drawing on direct engagement with the industry through questionnaires and fieldwork throughout the research. It's a starting point rather than a finished product – we keep receiving feedback from quarries and practitioners, and future iterations should grow more comprehensive.

For me, mapping became a tool for making visible the relationship between the buildings we design, and the places materials come from – letting users explore what stone is available locally, understand travel distances, identify suppliers, and begin to weigh up embodied carbon.

The industry has historically run on long-established personal relationships, which can make it hard for newcomers to engage. I hope the map encourages more transparency and coordination across a sector facing real pressure from international competition and shortages in skills. A stronger shared voice matters if it’s to stay relevant and resilient in the future.

Ultimately, I want architects, clients, and specifiers to use the map as a gateway into the industry. Over time, I would like to see the platform incorporate more technical information, including EPDs, testing data and other resources that can support confident specification.

SS: The Sustainable Sourcing Guide is arguably the jewel in the crown of the whole body of work. It is a detailed and pretty comprehensive overview of indigenous UK Stone and a welcome tool for specifiers and stakeholders alike. Can you give a summary of the key elements - what can people expect within it?

GG: The guide is a practical, navigable resource. It introduces readers to the UK's geological landscape and active quarries, then walks through extraction processes, stone types, products, applications, and contemporary approaches to stone construction. From there it moves into the wider systems around the material: procurement, economics, skills, supply chains, planning and policy.

In many ways, the guide acts as a translator between the different worlds of geology and quarrying, engineering, architecture, procurement, bringing together voices that don't often appear in the same conversation and revealing the interdependencies between them.

It's built on interviews, site visits and engagement across the industry, so it sets out a balanced picture of the opportunities and the challenges facing wider adoption. More than anything, it tries to build a nuanced understanding of what sustainability means for indigenous stone - environmentally, socially, culturally, and economically.

SS: Indigenous Stone UK feels like the beginning of a much larger body of work. As the research continues, what areas will the next phases focus on, and what do you hope the project ultimately achieves for the natural stone sector and the wider construction industry?

GG: The RIBA-funded phase has concluded, but I see this as the beginning of a much larger research journey. The platform will keep evolving as a shared resource, but the most exciting opportunities now lie beyond it.

As I move into the next stage of my career, building an independent research and design practice alongside my academic work, I want to keep exploring these questions through research by design and built projects. The project has already built a remarkable network across the stone industry. The next challenge is translating those conversations into spatial propositions, prototypes and ultimately buildings that demonstrate new possibilities for indigenous stone.

More broadly, I hope the project contributes to a new local vernacular - one that responds to the realities of the twenty-first century while staying rooted in the resources, skills, and landscapes of a particular place. Success won't be measured by the map or the guide alone, but by more people engaging confidently with local materials and building architecture that's environmentally responsible, culturally meaningful, and genuinely connected to context.

The latest addition to RAK Ceramics' I Sassi Collection takes its cues from one of Italy's most distinctive historic landscapes, translating the geology and architecture of the UNESCO-listed Sassi di Matera into a contemporary porcelain surface.

Designed to evoke the character of the ancient cave dwellings carved into southern Italy's calcarenite rock, I Sassi Matera draws on the weathered textures and tonal variation created over centuries by water and wind erosion. Rather than replicating stone directly, the collection interprets its layered appearance through ceramic surface design.

The launch expands the manufacturer's I Sassi Collection alongside I Sassi Borgogna, with both ranges sharing the same base background. RAK Ceramics says this approach allows the two surfaces to be specified together while maintaining visual continuity across larger schemes.

I Sassi Matera introduces a more expressive finish by combining that shared base with decorative mineral-like flakes that add depth and movement to the surface. The result is a collection intended to balance historical reference with contemporary architectural applications.

Available in dark greige, dark ivory, dark sand and grey, the range includes coordinated decorative options and is produced in 90 x 180cm, 120 x 120cm and 60 x 120cm formats. The large-format porcelain is suitable for a variety of interior applications, from residential spaces to commercial and hospitality projects.

The collection reflects a wider trend for ceramic manufacturers to draw inspiration from natural stone and geological landscapes, using digital production techniques to recreate the visual complexity and subtle variation associated with quarried materials while offering the consistency and performance of porcelain.

Natural materials have long been central to McLean Quinlan's architecture, but with the renovation of a Lisbon townhouse, they also became a means of transforming the experience of everyday family life.

Completed for a young family, the 630m² project reworks a series of former townhouses that had been amalgamated during the 1990s into a single property. While generous in size, the building had become disconnected through years of piecemeal alteration, with split-level floors, oversized open spaces and an inconsistent palette that left interiors feeling cold, echoing and difficult to inhabit.

Rather than extending or radically altering the exterior, the architects focused on reshaping the existing fabric from within. The result is a four-bedroom family home with a separate guest apartment, where carefully proportioned spaces and a restrained palette of timber, stone, limewash and ceramic create an atmosphere rooted in wellbeing rather than luxury.

For associate architect and project lead Will Mouland, the design centred on making the house feel more human in scale.

"The house was oversized and disconnected, and we wanted to bring it back to something much softer and more domestic in scale," he says. "The project became about carefully shaping moments for family life; spaces to gather, work, play and unwind."

That approach is evident from the moment of arrival. Decorative mouldings and visual clutter have been stripped away to create a calmer entrance sequence, while the central staircase has been enclosed to establish a dedicated entrance hall. New Douglas fir screens replace the original glass balustrades, introducing warmth while allowing daylight to filter through the house.

Natural materials become increasingly important as the home unfolds. Limewashed walls soften light throughout the interiors, engineered timber flooring provides continuity between rooms, and Portuguese ceramic tiles reference local architectural traditions without resorting to overt stylistic gestures.

One of the property's most distinctive interventions occupies on the lower ground floor, where the clients' interest in wellness has shaped an entire level dedicated to relaxation and exercise. While it’s an overly and arguably misused buzzword, it can’t be argued that the outcome of Mouland and Co’s input does anything other than offer space to enhance one's wellbeing. What had once been a single expansive room has now been reconfigured into a sequence of interconnected spaces, including a yoga studio, massage room, gym, steam room, cold plunge and infrared sauna.

Here, material changes subtly define different experiences, with a lowered Douglas fir ceiling that distinguishes the wet zone, while the steam room is wrapped in matte micro-cement to create a monolithic, tactile enclosure. Elsewhere, a custom Douglas fir cold plunge and pale hemlock sauna reinforce the project's emphasis on natural finishes that age gracefully through use and sit firmly within the biophilic instruction manual.

Mouland explains that these materials were fundamental to the atmosphere the clients hoped to achieve.

"Wellness wasn't an add-on but very much the organising principle of the whole house," he says. "Natural materials were central to achieving that; there is an inherent calm to timber, stone and limewash. Subtle references to Portuguese materials helped root it in its setting without being overly literal about it."

On the principal living floor, spatial reorganisation proved just as important as the material palette. Rather than retaining the previous open-plan arrangement, McLean Quinlan introduced freestanding walls and timber screens to create a series of interconnected but distinct living spaces.

The relocated kitchen now overlooks the rear garden, where panoramic aluminium doors open fully onto a new terrace and curved timber deck. A dropped timber ceiling gives the kitchen its own identity within the wider plan, while concealed joinery hides a pantry behind flush cabinetry, reinforcing the calm visual language that runs throughout the house.

Elsewhere, bedrooms have been resized to create more comfortable proportions, while the primary bathroom adopts the same matte micro-cement used elsewhere to evoke the atmosphere of a contemporary spa. Other bathrooms are lined with softly undulating white glazed tiles inspired by Lisbon's long tradition of ceramic façades, their subtle relief catching changing daylight throughout the day.

Although the intervention is substantial, its architectural language remains restrained. Rather than introducing dramatic new forms, McLean Quinlan has relied on the enduring qualities of natural materials, careful detailing and thoughtful spatial editing to redefine the building.

The result is a home where timber, stone, plaster and ceramics work together to create interiors that feel rooted in place while supporting the rhythms of modern family life. In an era when wellness is often expressed through technology or overt spectacle, Lisbon Townhouse demonstrates the quieter contribution that materiality, proportion and craftsmanship can make to everyday living.

All images © Jim Stephenson

North Shields-based heritage contractor Classic Masonry has secured a £450,000 contract to carry out specialist masonry repairs as part of the restoration of the Grade II* listed Keelmen's Hospital in Newcastle.

Working for main contractor BRIMS Construction, the company will deliver the external brickwork and chimney repairs using a conservation-led approach that prioritises the retention of historic fabric. The works include repairing original masonry, stitching and stabilising deteriorated brickwork, salvaging and reusing materials from the site, and repointing with traditional hot lime mortars selected for their compatibility with the historic structure.

The appointment follows a series of significant heritage commissions for the company and reflects continuing investment in the repair of historic masonry across the UK.

Built in 1701 as an almshouse for the Tyne keelmen, Keelmen's Hospital is one of Newcastle's earliest surviving brick buildings and the last remaining structure directly associated with the city's historic keelmen community. After serving a variety of uses, including student accommodation, the building has stood vacant since 2009 and is currently included on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register.

The wider £4.6 million regeneration scheme, led by Tyne + Wear Building Preservation Trust in partnership with Newcastle City Council, will transform the building into 20 affordable homes while preserving key historic features, including its clock tower and turret. Funding has been provided by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England and Newcastle City Council.

Classic Masonry has previously worked on a number of prominent conservation projects across the North East, including Fenwick Newcastle, St Mary's Cathedral, Morpeth Railway Station, Newcastle Civic Centre, Hylton Castle and the Union Chain Bridge.

Managing director Mike Moody said: "Keelmen's Hospital is an important part of Newcastle's heritage and we are proud to have been appointed. This is exactly the kind of historic, conservation-led work that sits at the heart of what we do.

"We would also like to thank BRIMS Construction for the opportunity to be involved in such a significant scheme. The work being delivered on site is a strong example of sensitive, high-quality restoration. Our specialist masonry package will be key to ensuring the building's historic fabric is carefully preserved for future generations."

Fresh from receiving a Royal Warrant from HM King Charles III – a milestone we recently reported on – conservation specialist DBR has secured another prestigious commission, this time to undertake heritage repairs to the historic Minka House at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Commissioned by Kew's Capital Projects Team, the programme will preserve the traditional timber and thatched building, which was donated by the Japan Minka Reuse and Recycle Association as part of the Japan 2001 Festival. Originally home to the Yonezu family after their house was destroyed during the Second World War, the structure is now one of the UK's most significant examples of traditional Japanese domestic architecture.

The conservation project will combine specialist Japanese craftsmanship with sustainable repair techniques. Master Thatching Ltd will renew the thatched roof using traditional methods, while Sands & Randall will undertake repairs to the timber frame using Japanese joinery. DBR Conservation will restore the mud floor and internal plaster wall panels, with all replacement timber responsibly sourced from Japan in accordance with UK Forestry Commission requirements.

Working alongside Clews Architects, Firmingers and Hockley & Dawson Consulting Engineers, DBR will also adopt ecology-led construction methods to minimise environmental impact, including measures to protect local bat populations during the works.

DBR chairman Adrian Attwood said the project reflects the company's long-standing approach to conservation. "The Minka House represents a treasured example of traditional Japanese heritage, and our work will ensure its preservation through specialist craftsmanship and sustainable practices. This project demonstrates our commitment to balancing heritage conservation with ecological responsibility."

The works highlight the increasing emphasis on repairing and extending the life of historic buildings through traditional skills and carefully sourced natural materials. For DBR, whose portfolio spans palaces, cathedrals and nationally significant heritage assets, the Minka House represents another high-profile conservation project where craftsmanship and authenticity remain central to the building's long-term future.

The Isle of Purbeck has long been known for its quarrying credentials. Limestone has been extracted over many generations and has shaped much of southern England's architecture. It’s therefore rather fitting that TYPE has completed the transformation of two derelict quarrymen's cottages into a contemporary rural retreat. 

Rather than treating the existing buildings as outdated structures requiring replacement, the project embraces the cottages themselves as a quarry of materials, demonstrating how natural stone and reclaimed fabric can underpin a genuinely circular approach to domestic architecture.

The 85m² cottage occupies a small hamlet on Dorset's Jurassic Coast, within a landscape intrinsically linked to Purbeck limestone. Developed for clients who actively rejected pristine finishes in favour of weathered materials with visible histories, the brief centred on retaining as much of the existing building as possible while sourcing any additional materials through reclamation rather than new manufacture.

For TYPE, the project became an exercise in radical reuse that breaks from the take-make-dispose mindset of recent times. "There is a tendency in the industry to default to stripping and throwing out," says director Ogi Ristic. "Purbeck Cottage is intended to be a case study of what is possible when you resist that instinct. By beginning with what already existed – the stone, the joists, the floors, the fittings – and asking how each element could be retained, repaired or reused, the project has arrived at a quality of character that no new specification could replicate."

The original cottages had already undergone alterations before the current intervention, including the introduction of a double-height volume. Rather than attempting to reinstate an earlier layout, the architects used this existing intervention as the organising principle for the new home, creating an open-plan living space at its centre while positioning bedrooms at either end on the first floor. A restored butler's hatch reconnects the kitchen with the main living space, while a compact service core containing bathrooms, storage and utilities allows the principal rooms to remain open and flexible.

The greatest discoveries came during the strip-out. Beneath layers of carpet and concrete screed lay the original Purbeck stone floors, while removing later finishes revealed carefully dressed limestone walls built by local quarrymen more than a century ago. Rather than disguising evidence of previous alterations, TYPE chose to preserve them. Jackhammer scars remain visible in the stone floor, while areas of historic brick infill around fireplaces have been left exposed, creating a layered material palette that records successive chapters of the building's life.

That philosophy extended throughout the construction process. Every component removed from the building was assessed for reuse before replacement was considered. Floor joists that could no longer serve structurally were painstakingly denailed, resized and repurposed as framing within the new service core. Original floorboards found new life as ceiling linings, while both existing staircases were dismantled, adapted and reinstated using as much of the original timber as possible.

What’s more, new interventions are deliberately restrained. Hand-forged steel balustrades by local blacksmith John Churchill provide a contemporary counterpoint to the retained fabric without competing with it. Salvaged timber cladding carrying traces of its former red and green paint has been incorporated into doors, shelving and wall linings, while leftover offcuts were carefully worked back into the design to eliminate waste.

Natural stone continues to anchor the project beyond the retained structure. Stone sinks were carved from leftover fragments at a nearby Purbeck quarry, reinforcing the connection between the house and the geology that originally gave rise to the settlement itself. Indeed, where reclaimed materials could not be sourced from within the cottages, TYPE turned to reclamation yards, local suppliers and salvage dealers. Vintage brassware, sanitaryware, cast-iron radiators, lighting, ironmongery and a restored French stove all contribute to an interior where each element carries evidence of a previous life.

Environmental performance has also been improved through targeted interventions rather than wholesale replacement. Wood-fibre insulation was added within the roof, lime plaster replaced impermeable cement render to improve the thermal performance of the solid stone walls while allowing them to breathe, and an air-source heat pump, solar panels and high-performance timber windows modernise the building's services without altering its essential character.

Importantly, no extensions were added and the external envelope remains largely unchanged, avoiding the embodied carbon associated with demolition and new construction.

Purbeck Cottage illustrates how careful attention to the material already present within a building can generate architecture with both environmental integrity and remarkable richness. Here, the original limestone remains the constant thread, carrying the memory of the site's quarrying heritage while forming the foundation of a home designed for another century of occupation.

Images © Lorenzo Zandri