Three researchers who aim to decarbonise the built environment by uniting ‘a fragmented construction sector’, have been announced by The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as winners of the 2024 RIBA Scott Brownrigg Award for Sustainable Development.
The winning project — Unlocking Indigenous Stone Construction in the UK: A Guide for Sustainable Sourcing — was submitted by:
- Giulliana-Florela Giorgi (Lead); ARB Architect at Allies and Morrison, Associate Lecturer at Ravensbourne University London, AA Graduate
- Jenny Haines; CEng MICE, Senior Structural Engineer at Webb Yates Engineers
- Matt Robb; Marketing and Media Manager for Stone Federation Great Britain, the official trade association for the natural stone industry.
Their proposed research seeks to uncover what is currently preventing more developers from using UK stone in construction and illustrate how its wider use, instead of imported alternatives, could significantly reduce carbon emissions and support rural communities.
The project emphasises the importance of engaging with architects, engineers, stonemasons, and quarry operators to discover more about the current barriers to sourcing and using UK stone and will promote collaboration amongst all built environment professionals through interviews and round table discussions.
Case studies, surveys and site visits will also be conducted, and the project will culminate in the creation of an online platform – complete with maps, diagrams, a report, and a short video – that will provide practical solutions on how best to source and use UK stone.
Following completion of their project, the three researchers will be invited to present their work at RIBA and Scott Brownrigg’s London studio in Autumn 2025.
Launched in 2022, RIBA's Scott Brownrigg Award for Sustainable Development offers £10,000 to individuals or teams interested in developing research projects or practical work in architecture-related topics associated with one or more of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations Global Compact.
The 2024 judging panel comprised:
- Mhairi McVicar, Professor of Architecture at Cardiff University (Chair)
- Basil Demeroutis; Managing Partner, FORE Partnership
- Alasdair Ben Dixon; Architect and Co-founder, Collective Works
- Alice Moncaster; Professor of Sustainable Construction, University of the West of England
- Alex Scott-Whitby; Director, ScottWhitbyStudio and Associate Professor of Architecture at Kingston University
- Nwola Uduku; Head of School of Architecture at Liverpool School of Architecture (LSA)
- Mario Vieira; Head of Sustainability at Scott Brownrigg
Chair of the judging panel Mhairi McVicar Professor of Architecture at Cardiff University said: “The review panel received a high number of excellent proposals, on diverse topics including whole-life material production, use and waste, energy, water and sewage systems, land use, post-disaster development and retrofit and re-use, and we were so impressed by the rigor, originality and scale of ambition of submissions.
“After much careful consideration and lively debate, we were very happy to confer the 2024 award to Unlocking Indigenous Stone Construction in the UK, not least because it focuses on learning from the existing UK construction industry context, as well as from global best practice to understand and address barriers to the use of local materials in UK construction projects. As the panel commented, the proposal targets ‘unlearning rather than discovering’ and we look forward to the research findings and recommendations.”
Mario Vieira, Scott Brownrigg Head of Sustainability, said: “We are honoured to continue to support these awards and were impressed by the high-quality entries received. They covered a broad range of topics and locations around the globe, demonstrating the potential architecture has to make a positive impact on people and places.
“While not an easy task to compare such a range of proposals, the judging panel were all in agreement on the winners. We look forward to receiving their findings and the impact they can have on decarbonising the UK construction sector.
“Scott Brownrigg would like to thank RIBA for their work ensuring the smooth running of the process and for the judges who generously gave their time and expertise.”
