Practice Information Note
SC115
Material Considerations – Stone: a review
This review has been prepared by James Henderson. James is a member of the
GIA ConSus Committee and currently works at Jewitt and Wilkie Architects.
Scotland is a Land of Stone. Stone has been widely used to build some of
Scotland’s most distinctive urban landscapes and forms some of its most
breathtaking natural landscapes.
It is a quintessential Scottish material, evident not only in Glasgow’s tenements or
Edinburgh’s old and new town but throughout the countryside as well. However the
tides changed sometime around the 1920’s and come the 60’s, two wars had
passed, the great depression had been and gone, Portland cement, concrete and
brick had risen in popularity and with these, the skills associated with quarrying had
been all but lost.
Sust. are looking to change things with the arrival of the second in the series of their
Material Considerations exhibitions; Land of Stone. This time they are showcasing
“stone as a building material looking at the past, present and future possibilities for
stone construction in Scotland.” By exploring the geological, architectural and
quarrying history Sust. present a compelling argument for the use of Scottish stone
as a building material once again.
Before delving into the heart of the exhibition, Sust. pause briefly to answer the not
so simple question, what is stone? Accompanied by a short looping BBC film, that
provides a soundtrack to the exhibition, we learn of the incredibly complicated and
diverse geological history of Scotland.
The exhibition is split into three parts, the development of stone buildings, the
quarrying process, and the case studies.
The development of Stone Through the Ages is a visually appealing and informative
display. Starting at two rudimentary stone buildings in Orkney dating from 3500 –
3100 B.C, ranging through the ages, past the old stone brochs, monasteries and
cathedrals to the more recognisable buildings of the 19th Century where the display
peaks, with images of the Macintosh School of Art, Kelvingrove Museum and Greek
Thompson’s work.
As the years go on and the buildings become more recognisable to the younger
generations, the decline in stone craft becomes apparent as cladding become more
predominant. The inclusion of the likes of the Scottish Parliament, NORD’s Stone
House, the Small Animal Hospital and Hotel Missoni certainly show that the quality of
architecture has not been affected with the loss of the stone crafts.
Turn your back on the architectural side of the exhibition and the rise and fall of the
quarrying industry is charted. A map of Scotland coloured in with some 11,000 dots
depicts the location of all recorded quarries through out Scotland’s history. Granted
many of these were no more than a hole in the ground, but what strikes you is the
sheer amount of decline in numbers; only fifteen quarries are open in Scotland today.
Fifteen quarries left where some 1,200 quarries existed during the mid 19 th Century,
almost a 99% decline. Scotland used to export stone all over the world, Caithness
flag stones can even be found in a Buenos Aires meat factory; it once quite literally
paved the world. When demand was high it was quarried out of 15-20 individual
quarries and supported the local population; now only one quarry remains and its
impact on the local economy is fairly insignificant. Few will argue at the quality and
beauty of the Caithness stone façade on NORD’s recent project, but it is unlikely that
clients will be rushing to specify it anytime soon, given the current economic climate.
Stone has almost become a luxury material, and at a time when the bulk of the
industry tends to build with economy in mind, one must ask if stone will ever be the
construction material of choice again?
The exhibition acknowledges that …stone is not a renewable resource, but rather is
sustainable by virtue of life cycle, low embodied energy (when kept local) and its
contribution to increasing local employment and skill base.
Wander through to the last room in the exhibition and a presentation of contemporary
case studies is on display.
The case studies: NORD’s Stone House; Scotlands housing expo streetscape; The
Voight Partnership’s Broughty Ferry House; Archial Group’s Small Animal Hospital,
Elder and Cannon’s Castlemilk Stables and Simpson and Brown’s refurbishment of a
17th Century property in Edinburgh are all good ambassadors for building with stone
today. The displays emphasise the stone features and techniques used which show
that stone is not dead, but rather experiencing a creative revival.
For the architects, developers, students and clients visiting this, a very useful
presentation informs of how stone can be used and more importantly what stone can
be used where. Reading this it becomes evident that Sandstone is lot more versatile
than one might think, and more importantly is actually readily available in Scotland.
A quick cross reference with previous images in the exhibition reveals that sandstone
accounts for eleven out of the fifteen active quarries in Scotland today, with the
remaining quarrying granite, trachyte, slate and Caithness stone.
Whilst it is promising to read the footnotes stating *quarry temporarily opened for
conservation project, or **quarry opening soon, it is disheartening to learn that
***most granite used in Scotland today is imported from places like China.
Considering the amount of quarries that once existed, and knowing that the stone is
still there, one must ask why we import as much as we do? Unfortunately everyone
knows the answer: money. Since we lost the skills and labour force and quarries
went into decline, it has become too expensive to reopen them, and frankly the
demand has not existed in recent years.
The economics of stone is perhaps the one aspect that could be better represented
here, especially given the state of the economy. Whilst perhaps a conscious
decision, it would still be revealing to know how it compares to other materials, both
as an upfront cost but also in the life time costs associated with it.
It is a struggle today to obtain Scottish stone, and demand for it must increase
significantly to make it worthwhile for quarries to re-open. It is promising then to
learn here of a project in Stirling, courtesy of another BBC short film, where building
stock is being analysed to predict the potential up-coming demand for Scottish slate.
Many buildings with 100-150 year old roofs are reaching the end of their life span and
will require repair.
Given current conservation requirements and growing
consciousness behind the carbon footprint of building materials, only the demand for
Scottish slate can boost its revival.
Perhaps the answer to revival also lies in the playful make your own dry stone wall
workshops that feature in the exhibition. Could it be that by starting to learn the basic
skills again used in dry stone / rubble faced walls, that do not require as skilled a
workforce to extract and construct, demand could slowly grow? Once the basic skills
are developed and the concept of building with stone is again acknowledged, the
industry might progress to more crafted walls that in-turn require more advanced skill
sets.
Of course this is pure speculation but one group doing more than many to advance
the use of stone again are Historic Scotland and their now independent off-shoot,
The Scottish Stone Liaison Group. Their obvious presence is this exhibition is shown
via an impressive display of (free) available literature: A Future for Stone in Scotland;
Natural Stone Masonry in Modern Scottish Construction as well as a very useful
array of Historic Scotland’s Inform guides, covering everything from Repairing
Scottish Slate Roofs, Stone Floors, Repointing Ashlar and Rubble Stonework to
Cleaning Sandstone.
These guides provide an endless amount of follow up reading, but more than that
they are useful as an educational tool, with many perhaps being useful for architects,
contractors, student and home-owners alike. Peter Wilson’s Building with Scottish
Stone inadvertently also serves as a good summary of the exhibition yet goes into
much more detail as only a book can. (On the subject of literature it is also worth
noting copies of A+DS’s comprehensive record of Scotland’s Housing Expo 2010 are
also available here.)
On reflection, the exhibition is excellent as both an educational and design tool for
anyone with a fleeting interest in the construction industry and is a must see for
anyone involved in restoration projects. SUST have picked up where their successful
timber orientated exhibition, A Natural Factory, left off last year. This is part of
ongoing project to create the Sust. Materials Library, investigating sustainable
construction products. It is also one of the first of a new programme of A+DS
curated exhibitions at the Lighthouse. Following their re-launch at the start of the
year with a new image, website and publications to accompany, the Lighthouse is
slowly being cajoled back into life after a turbulent year.
The Lighthouse does have a buzz about it again, helped by the current long-term
exhibition on the outspoken architect Cedric Price being accompanied by a
considerate selection of smaller short-term exhibitions coming over the summer. The
exhibitions and building as a whole are reaching out beyond the profession, hopefully
making it a popular destination once again.
The exhibition “Material Considerations – Stone” is at the Lighthouse and will end on
13th August 2011.
While all reasonable care and has been taken to ensure the accuracy of all information contained in practice
information, the Royal Incorporation cannot be held responsible for any errors and omissions. The views expressed
in articles contributed by individual authors are not necessarily the views of the Royal Incorporation.
© RIAS