Royal Academy of Arts – Equanimity: Summer Exhibition 2022 in collaboration with Webb Yates Engineers.
Winner of the CDUK Award for Architecture

Equanimity might be an underused word and unusual title, but for us it frames the need for serious reflection about the way we shape our world – Staying focused and calm to understand the new challenges in front of us.

“A succession of worlds” is how the godfather of Geology, James Hutton, described the on-going life of our Earth reading through its geological strata. Now, in 2022, with energy costs rising and supply chains getting longer and more complex, it seems we are living in the very moment when we will shift from one world to another.

This new world is where we need to improve our methods of saving energy, going further than the way we create energy, but extending to the way we use the energy we have. When transforming material more and more we need to be mindful of our resources, rebuilding relations between architects, engineers and craftsmen, to reduce waste and reliance on inefficient materials.

Should we engage in a complete re-education of engineering and architectural studies with the reintroduction of natural materials and their processing techniques, thus acknowledging their validity and making their use more commonplace?

Can we look to reduce anthropic materials and revive forgotten quarries and stone building skills?

Makers need to be part of the solution, harnessing their deep knowledge and clear understanding of the processing of a material alongside the use of new technologies, such as engineering and design software or assembly systems.

Stone, a widely available natural resource, with a proven history of resilience and strength, needs to be part of the answer to healthy and sustainable building. Like wood, limestone (when put back into the architectural vocabulary), would lower the carbon footprint of modern construction and create new economic sectors for quarries in the UK and Europe, all while enhancing our streetscapes with its diverse colours and textures.

Can we envisage a world in which we look at the energy challenges with a pre-industrial mentality alongside a modern engineering mind?

This large mineral element, peacefully hanging from a wooden structure, is proof that with the right set of values - honesty, commitment and audacity, engineers and makers can help successfully resolve part of the problem.

It is time for stone to be used once more, as it always was, as a commodity, not a luxury. With less selection focused purely on aesthetic criteria, as well as an efficient retooling of the stone industry, we would be able to provide stone at an affordable rate for all kind of buildings, be it a school, mid-rise housing development or even offices.