A long stone plank stands on Store Street in central London, raised on triangular wooden props, giving it the look of a medieval battering ram, ready to lay siege to Tottenham Court Road. This great masonry beam means no harm to the shoppers – but it could well prove to be disruptive in another way. The slab in question is a prototype chunk of a structural stone floor, an impressively slender thing, 12 metres long and just a few centimetres thick. Cut straight from the quarry and transported to site ready to install, such a floor has a carbon footprint of just 15% of a standard concrete floor – and it’s cheaper, lighter and faster to install. “Stone,” says architect Amin Taha , “is the great forgotten material of our time. In 99% of cases, it’s cheaper and greener to use stone in a structural way, as opposed to concrete or steel, but we mostly just think of using it for cladding.” Taha is on a mission to show the potential of stone beyond decoration. Together with stonemason Pierre Bidaud and engineer Steve Webb, he has curated an exhibition at the Building Centre that aims to reveal how this […]
Latest Articles
A New Wireless EV Charging Road is Currently Under Construction in Germany
Takeaways: Germany is building the first-ever public wireless road project to charge an electric bus travelling to the city.
The supplier Electreon will put...
Is Cellular Agriculture the Future of Food Production?
Takeaways: Cellular agriculture is a form of lab technology that uses a base material to cultivate a usable product.
This technology allows food to...
How Floating Battery Buoys Could Curb Shipping Emissions in Ports.
How Floating Battery Buoys Could Curb Shipping Emissions in Ports. Floating Battery Buoys could Curb Shipping Emissions...
Critically Endangered Chimpanzee Born at Chester Zoo Offers New Species Hope
Takeaways: A critically endangered Western chimpanzee has been born at the Chester Zoo.
There are only 18 000 individuals left in the world due...
Emerging Technologies and Trends in Better-for-you and More Sustainable Food and Beverages
Emerging Technologies and Trends in Better-for-you and More Sustainable Food and Beverages Guest Post by: Julia Stamberger, Co-founder and...
Batteries That Store Energy Using Rusting Iron Could Help Decarbonize the Grid
Takeaways: Form Energy is building batteries using a common element - iron.
These batteries can store a lot of energy, so you can keep...