In this month’s design news, you can learn how how to make bees out of sushi, bricks out of stone and how to make a car that runs on waste plastic. 1 Brick by brick View image in fullscreen A canine visitor to Clerkenwell Design Week 2024 enjoys a drink at the Brick From a Stone installation. Photograph: Ivan Jones An installation at this year’s Clerkenwell Design Week in London could shake the foundations of the building industry.
Brick From A Stone, designed by architectural practice Artefact, is built from bricks made out of waste stone instead of the standard clay. The two British companies Albion Stone and Hutton Stone have invested in cutting-edge machinery that makes these bricks, which have about a quarter of the carbon footprint of traditional bricks. Though steel and concrete have become ubiquitous, stone is increasingly recognised as a stronger, more recyclable, and lower-carbon alternative.
According to the World Green Building Council, the construction sector is responsible for almost 40% of global, energy-related carbon emissions – 28% from operational needs such as heating, air-con, lighting and 11% from extraction, manufacture and transportation of materials as well as building. Albion and Hutton both intend to bring stone bricks to market this year. Hopefully leading to new builds with the oldest materials available.
2 Car trouble View image in fullscreen The Plastic Car (Is Made of Metal) by Gijs Schalkx. Photograph: Gijs Schalkx If you worry about roa.
