How Stone Construction Is Transforming Low-Carbon Architecture in the UK

The Design Museum in London is accelerating the UK's shift toward stone construction with the Stone Demonstrator, a full-scale prototype that proves natural stone can dramatically reduce the carbon impact of everyday buildings. Installed at Empress Place within the Earls Court development, the structure replaces concrete, fired clay bricks, and almost all steel with granite and limestone — resulting in approximately 90% lower carbon emissions.

Created by the Design Museum’s Future Observatory in collaboration with Groupwork, Webb

Yates, and Arup, the Stone Demonstrator puts structural stone back in the spotlight. While stone is one of the oldest construction materials, it is often overlooked in modern building systems. The project shows how stone can be used today with existing supply chains, standard codes, and contemporary engineering.

A key feature is the pre-tensioned stone frame, where steel tendons run through stone blocks to create beams and columns that are strong, safe, and fully disassemblable. Although the demonstrator is only three storeys high, the engineering team states this system could be used for buildings up to 80 storeys.

Two innovative floor slab solutions are showcased: a pre-tensioned stone slab and a new hybrid system combining stone with dowel-laminated timber (DLT). Both options eliminate the need for carbon-intensive concrete.

Even the façade challenges London’s traditional reliance on fired clay bricks, featuring self-supporting stone bricks cut directly from raw stone blocks.

In total, the Stone Demonstrator’s embodied carbon footprint is around 3,000 kg of CO₂, compared to 32,000–40,000 kg for equivalent concrete or steel structures. This dramatic reduction positions stone as an effective, scalable, low-carbon alternative for the UK construction industry.

The project forms part of a wider investigation into the future of stone as a modern, ecological building material. While promising, experts highlight that responsible sourcing and transport are crucial to unlocking its full sustainability potential.

The Stone Demonstrator remains on display until at least June 2026, continuing to provoke discussion about how the UK can meaningfully transition toward lower-carbon architectural systems.

Written by Otávio Santiago, a designer dedicated to translating ideas into visual rhythm. His work spans motion, 3D, and graphic design — connecting creativity, technology, and human emotion.