Design as a Demonstrator

Over in West London, there is a building whose purpose is to start things, even though it will never be finished. It is The Stone Demonstrator, an installation by the Design Museum and Future Observatory team which is to act as a prototype that starts conversations in the building industry about the what, where and how of low-carbon construction. From their site: “The Stone Demonstrator is a boundary-pushing stone prototype, located on the Earls Court Development site, calling for more sustainable materials and building practices in the construction industry. The open-air Stone Demonstrator stands at three storeys tall, measuring 6.5m x 6.5m, with the ground floor and adjoining park open to the public.“ Image: Bas Princen / the Design Museum and Future Observatory One of design’s key activities is to show people a thing in order to change that thing. Rather than the conversation about stone as a modern building material be obscured under ideas and preconceptions, bringing a version of…