Exploring the materials and methods of low-carbon construction, particularly related to housing, has been a significant strand of research within Future Observatory. The first phase of research involved a survey of the obstacles to and opportunities for low-carbon housebuilding in the UK. This was accompanied by a free exhibition at the Design Museum entitled How to Build a Low-Carbon Home.
The second phase involved the construction of a 1:1 scale building prototype using natural stone. The Stone Demonstrator deploys a pre-tensioned stone frame with a stone-brick facade, and has been a high-profile research tool for engaging the architecture and construction industry in the low-carbon credentials of natural stone. The demonstrator has been accompanied by another piece of Future Observatory-funded research, which is testing and data collection by engineers at University College London, which will result in the publication of a design guide for building stone
