Why We Should Build With STONE (Again)

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For thousands of years, we used natural stone to create the most incredible and long lasting architecture. But then, suddenly, we stopped using stone. Why?In this video, we do a deep dive in this beautiful, wonderful material. We interview the commercial director at Carrières du Hainaut, John Vis, and Pierre Bidaud from the Stonemasonry Company in London.
The biggest question is: can we still build with stone today? Is it feasible, and what are the benefits of using stone? Are there any drawbacks? And most of all: is it too expensive, or can it be affordable?Subscribe to The Aesthetic City and join our mission to make our cities and buildings more beautiful, livable and long lasting.

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🙏🏼A special THANK YOU to the following people:
- Pierre Bidaud
- John Vis
- Micah Springut
- Klaus Rieck
- Studio Archiplein
- 11H45 and Leo Fabrizio

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Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click on them and make a purchase. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support the channel.

🎥 Video equipment I used:

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📖 Favourite Urbanism & Architecture Books

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©️ Copyright info:

11H45
Leo Fabrizio
Atelier Archiplein

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[conrado]

Dutch stonecarver here. Belgian blue limestone is a very tough material, but 300 years is about the end of its lifespan. It's usually not applied as a building material itself, but more as a cladding material, the internal structure commonly was made out of brick. It has always been quite an expensive material. We just finished the Utrecht Dom Tower, where we replaced many limestone parts that were about 100 years old (it is hoped that the new English Portlandstone will last a century longer). Stone does not have an eternal lifespan, but with proper maintenance buildings can last a very long time.
Skilled labour would be an issue. Much is done with cnc robots nowadays, but without that human touch it would end up looking lifeless and fake. Plus the work would be adapted to what the machine can do, not to what it should look like

[Dont_Tell_Anyone_Its_Me]

One aspect that was implied in this video, but not expended on, is that the type of stone used in constructions can impact the identity of the place. For example, in the Loire valley in France, there is a lot of buildings (and castles) with white walls, because there is a lot of tuffeau there. However in Tuscany, in Italy, the stone is more yellow, contributing to the warm landscapes of the region. Because in ancient times, each place was built using local ressources, every city was born from the very stone it lands upon. That created an identity and a visual landmark. It's a "when you see this type of stones, you know you're in that place" type of thing, wich creates a reassuring feeling.

[OscarBorrem]

I've seen so many buildings in construction sites, where they first were made with concrete and THEN placed decorative stone outside. Since the 50's architects never thought about the longevity and beauty of buildings. It's time WE the public should take things in our hands, not the architects as they've proven.

[thijmenpopma]

As a second year Civil Engineering student in Delft, I find this video incredibly fascinating. The curriculum of CE is unfortunately based mostly on building with concrete and steel, with very little emphasis on other materials. I would love to see a renaissance of building technology like you proposed. We need more beauty in our cities!

[Ernesto_Da_Faneda]

I'm a geologist, and passionate about ornamental stones at that, so this video was candy to me. The part that intrigued me the most was the price aspect. Every interior designer you talk to about, for example, kitchen countertops will tell you "Natural stone is the most beautiful material, you can't beat it. But it's *so* much more expensive. So people choose cheaper alternatives, like so called quartz (which is essentially artificial, fake rock made with natural rock fragments)". If that's not actually true, more people need to know about it. If buying stone slabs from a local producer turns out to be cheaper than faux stone, developers, builders, designers, and even everyday people who renovate their kitchens should get on board with that. One downside you didn't mention is that quarries are not pretty to look at and they can disrupt the ecosystem, causing loss of soil, affecting slope stability, aquifers, etc., so there's no such thing as free lunch. But exploiting and reopening existing quarrying sites is probably still a more sustainable option than extracting all the materials that are needed to make concrete. And yes, stone can be reused, if the buildings are disassembled smartly. That would require the same change in attitude that's needed to switch from concrete to stone as a source material: building up would take much longer, and tearing down would take much longer as well.

[elizabethdavis]

Paige Saunders have a video where he did a survey of peoples exterior cladding preferences. he makes a good argument that people would be more supportive of new construction as long as the exterior of the new building was aesthetically pleasing.

[dr.coole.]

I'm enthusiastic about the use of stone in new architecture. Thanks for the video.
I wish you included a segment addressing seismic considerations when using stone in architectural applications.

[RextheRebel]

Traditional architecture is a testament to what true diversity looks like. Its the unique differences from the various locations/regions that give them their identity. Diversity is not mix matching a bunch of different types of stone in one building (that would not be a stabilized structure), its ensuring a variety of cultures and customs that remain around the world.

I don't want a sterile, bland, muddy society that cant be differentiated from another. Ppl are different and unique because of their own separate societies that are explicitly theirs.

[AbrahamCasillas-to]

Finally, a Youtuber talking about how even tall buildings can be beautiful and be made out of stone!

[tradarchistudent]

I studied Clerkenwell Close last semester after Pierre gave us a lecture on it over Zoom! Pre/post-tensioned stone is pretty cool, but it’s interesting to note that something similar was done at Amiens Cathedral hundreds of years ago! When structural issues started to occur, the genus that was the medieval mind installed a massive red-hot iron chain that wrapped the interior of the triforium. When it cooled, the chain contracted and kept the whole thing in compression while the chain was in tension. Pretty amazing!

Note: I don’t remember the sources for this, but I’ve seen it and heard it in several places. If I’m wrong, my apologies!

[wcliftongameplaystutorials]

Here in the UK, almost all buildings were made of locally fired stones, bricks and other materials, such as the famous Bath Limestone Stone in the West of England or Cotswold Stone in nearby areas, and the world known "London Redbrick", but unfortunately since the Second World war, Stone buildings have gone out of fashion, and most local authorities, at least in the South-East of England only approve new constructions made out of the now low-quality bricks from the "London Brick Company" (London Red Brick, mostly), and most quarries have been closed down and either left abandoned, in rare cases turned into reservoirs, or built in, such as in the case of the Bluewater Shopping Centre/Mall in North Kent (near South-East London).

It is very unfortunate that Stone construction is not very popular now, hopefully that will change.

[Atlantjan]

Well, at least that means that all the ugly buildings have a natural expiry date, so those "modern architects" made at least one good choice.

[petervarley]

I struggle to believe that reinforced concrete has a lifespan of just 50 years... so long as the reinforcing rods are kept away from moisture, or galvanized before use. Yes, exterior cantilevered balconies can have issues with "concrete cancer" but do the concrete columns and floors of curtain wall buildings really have issues? Having said that, I'm all for transitioning to low-carbon alternatives which could be Roman concrete. Regardless, natural stone and concrete are both heavy which means considerable energy to move it around. I am reminded of Buckminster Fuller's question to Normal Foster, "How much does your building weigh?"

[alexstefan]

This video is incredible. I thought it was the other way around that stone pollutes more than concrete and instead, as usual, you always teach us something new. I will continue to repeat it but your channel and your videos are a breath of fresh air and a breath of hope for the new generations thanks again for all the work you do and for this video!

[Real_Tim_S]

It's funny, that for 3+ years I've been developing a method to use brick for an exterior weathering face, stone and the loadbearing exterior and interior walls, CLT for the floor and roof plates, and Glulam timbers for the floor and roof beams. Then rockwool for insulation/fire protection (made from basalt, another rock) and and light steel hat-track to create acoustic floating. The goal was a home design that would last >400 years.

Then this video came out...

[edi]

I had the ultimate Aesthetic City experience yesterday: I was on the road to an appointment only to get a phone call cancelling it, after I was already 200km from home. I was angry and hungry and looked for the nearest town to find something to eat. What I found was a picturesque town with an excellent Italian restaurant. Suddenly, I felt on vacation and my negativity subsided. That town had burnt down 1635 almost completely and vast parts of it today stem from the rebuilding phase almost 400 years ago. Thus, it has countless examples of peak Fachwerk. It was pretty much in the middle of nowhere and far from mass tourism. All this made it a hidden gem.
Did anyone else make a similar experience?

[valije]

I live in the NW of Spain, where is warm, very humid and 150 km/h winds are the norm every winter. Unifamiliar houses make of wood (like in the USA) are unthinkable here. Insted we like to build our houses with stone. Since this is "granite land" that is the stone we use. There is even a variety of granite named after one of the quarry locations (pink Porriño).

On the old times, the walls were load bearing with wood beams to support the flooring and roofing, and all is covered withe either clay or slate tiles. Hard wood was used, either oak or chestnut. Nowadays reinforced concrete is used as a skeleton and roof support and almost everything else in the exterior side is made of stone (or bricks if you can't afford the granite/labour).

Houses are not the only use of granite either. Fences and retaining walls made exclusively with granite are very common too. Just check Google street view near the coast in Galicia and you will see the huge amounts of granite used on almost everything that can be made of stone.

[daarya]

Totally agree, amazing video! I stand for starting the use of stone once again, support the local economy and support and respect the planet we all live on 💎

[bannol]

We should build more with timber, especially when it comes to residential dwellings. Timber is natural, strong, flexible, durable, a good insulator and it is sustainable. It stores carbon and ticks many environmental boxes. Not only that, timber buildings, whether traditional or modern, exude a certain warmth. It is a great material in cold climates, the tropics and any climate in-between. Timber can be painted, or not and construction methods are extremely flexible ranging from log construction, shingle or tongue in grove siding, to timber composite exteriors.

What most people really want is a variety of materials and styles. Traditional designs are preferred over modernism and minimalism. Most importantly, housing has to become affordable and accessible to most people and be something more than just provide the utility of shelter. There has to be relatable and aesthetically pleasing aspect to all architecture regardless of function.

[SlayerBG]

As an architect, trust me I would love nothing more than to build with stone. However, stone and insulation do not mix. Sure it has collosal thermal mass but you need insulation to come anywhere close to modern requirements. So the issue becomes how does one integrate load bearing stone with insulation cheaply while keeping its attractive exterior visible. Its a tought nut to crack.