Architecture studio Artefact has created an installation at Clerkenwell Design Week using bricks made of stone, which the manufacturer claims emit 75 per cent fewer greenhouse gases than fired bricks in production.
The temporary shelter, called Brick from a Stone, consists of a colonnade with six columns and was designed by Artefact using stone bricks recently launched by British suppliers Albion Stone and Hutton Stone.
The Brick from a Stone installation was unveiled at Clerkenwell Design Week
Positioned between two red phone boxes on Clerkenwell Green, the three-metre-tall structure was built using just under 900 stone bricks, made from slabs of "unloved" limestone and sandstone with superficial inconsistencies that make them unsuitable for typical applications. Producing the stone bricks only generates around a quarter of the emissions compared to traditional clay bricks, according to the manufacturers, as it eliminates the need for energy-intensive firing.
The temporary shelter is made from nearly 900 stone bricks
In total, they say the carbon footprint of the 864 bricks used in the installation is equivalent to a third of an average laptop.
"As reducing embodied carbon in buildings becomes a priority, we expect architects to be drawn to the sustainability credentials of these stone bricks," said Michael Poultney, managing director of Albion Stone.
"We have enough 'unloved' Portland stone to construct the equivalent of St Paul's Cathedral in b...