Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this video, engineer Steve Webb and stonemason Pierre Bidaud share their research in making stone serve contemporary structural construction needs and discuss its potential to substantially reduce embodied energy in built form. They challenge the perception of stone as a heritage or luxury material, arguing for its possibility to play a large role in decarbonization.
Their presentation is followed by a discussion with Jonah Wurzer-Kinsler, a partner at Franken-Schotter GmbH & Co, Germany’s largest producer of limestone and an environmental leader in the stone industry.
The discussion, moderated by structural engineer Nat Oppenheimer, touches on questions of circularity, affordability, and scalability, including recycling stone from existing buildings, the use of stone in affordable housing, and sustainable quarrying practices.
In this video, engineer Steve Webb and stonemason Pierre Bidaud share their research in making stone serve contemporary structural construction needs and discuss its potential to substantially reduce embodied energy in built form. They challenge the perception of stone as a heritage or luxury material, arguing for its possibility to play a large role in decarbonization.
Their presentation is followed by a discussion with Jonah Wurzer-Kinsler, a partner at Franken-Schotter GmbH & Co, Germany’s largest producer of limestone and an environmental leader in the stone industry.
The discussion, moderated by structural engineer Nat Oppenheimer, touches on questions of circularity, affordability, and scalability, including recycling stone from existing buildings, the use of stone in affordable housing, and sustainable quarrying practices.
