From concept to reality – highly sustainable terrazzo that reuses London rubble.
In a world where so much waste is generated, every day we look for more and more ways of reusing rather than dumping. Rubble from building works is often reused as hardcore but is there a more aesthetic way of repurposing it?
Terrazzo is a mix of aggregate, usually marble, set into cement or resin. History suggests that it was first used by the Romans when quarrymen used offcuts of marble to make flooring. Indeed, Italy is awash with terrazzo, not just in churches and monuments but in shops and even ATMs!
The association with those quarrymen has been used – or perhaps abused – to suggest that terrazzo is an ‘eco’ surface as it reuses marble offcuts. But most of the time those offcuts aren’t really offcuts at all, they are chunks and chippings of marble crushed especially. And the binding that the marble is set in either cement or resin, isn’t particularly eco-friendly.
So how about a terrazzo that really does deserve a green badge? The question was debated by London natural stone and terrazzo specialist Diespeker & Co MD John Krause and award-winning garden designer Tom Massey who met when John was looking for creative input for his own London garden.
Their discussions led to the idea of a brand new terrazzo material that really does tick the green boxes. Called Rubblazzo, it’s a uniquely eco-friendly material that uses waste stone materials.
Formulating a practical method of making the material was an exhaustive process; it wasn’t a case of simply adding old bits of stone to the usual resin or cement binder; waste rubble isn’t necessarily stable and the Diespeker team had to source and trial a binder with high environmental credentials. Many months of research went into ways of using different types of rubble whilst ensuring the quality of aesthetics and integrity of the material.
An early iteration of Rubblazzo was used to make benches for Lendlease’s ‘mobile’ Orchard in Endeavour Square, Stratford in 2021 and also featured as garden slabs in an episode of Your Garden Made Perfect but it wasn’t until 2023 that the perfect methodology was finessed.
The two originators took the plunge and showcased the material in their own projects; Tom used the material in his showpiece ‘Resilient Garden’ at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival and John’s own garden now includes benches, paving and a water feature made from this innovative material.
The material is officially called Rubblazzo ‘Made of London’ and the rubble is sourced from works in the city. But in theory, people undertaking house or commercial renovations could reuse their own rubble. It’s a cool use of waste and adds a personalised element that won’t be replicated elsewhere.
Rubblazzo eco-credentials:
- Ultra-low carbon alternative to traditional cement that can save up to 85% in embodied CO2 compared to a conventional mix
- All aggregates are recycled rubble (and recycled sand if needed) sourced from local London sites
- All reinforcements are made from recycled metal
- 100% manufactured in South East London
