Material Stories

The 20th century marked the decline of construction in stone, the victim of rising energy costs, wars and the fashion for new materials. To understand this rapid decline and witness the change from structural to veneer, take a walk in the heart of the city of London.

Cast iron is a metal alloy, popular in architecture historically for its strength and flexibility to be cast into custom shapes. Although largely replaced by steel since the late 19th century, cast-iron is still produced for conservation projects and to a lesser extent new contemporary buildings.