Matti Lampila, Cathrin Walczyk, and Sofia Steffenoni discuss how the practice’s approach to materiality is informed by craft, technology and making.
Established by Stuart Piercy in 2002, Piercy&Company is an award-winning practice based in Camden Town, north London. Working across a range of scales and typologies, the 80-strong office has established a reputation for delivering materially-rich and meticulously-detailed buildings that seamlessly blend form and function, while also responding to key contextual, environmental, and human-centric issues.
Forming a key component of the practice’s success is the importance its team of architects, designers and researchers places on craft, making and technology. This not only enables it to create new forms using traditional materials and construction techniques, but also to investigate more familiar structures and shapes using both new and experimental materials.
Matti Lampila and Cathrin Walczyk, director and studio director respectively, together with Materials Assemble director Sofia Steffenoni, explain how this hands-on approach is underpinned and informed by the practice’s comprehensive materials library, its dedication to model making, and its in-house collaboration with specialist consultant Materials Assemble.
Beginning with the library: how is this organised and who looks after it?
Matti Lampila The library has recently been relocated and reorganised with the most interesting and useful materials catalogued online. It’s frequently kept up to date by our studio manager Carolina de Jesus, who also developed the system for organising and refreshing it, in collaboration with interior designer Becci Honey. Materials are signed in and out, so we know where to find them!
Kolumba brick by Petersen Tegl. “We specified these beautiful bricks, which are marked with thumb prints from being pulled from the moulds by hand, for the Turnmill office building in Clerkenwell, London. Intended to evoke the area’s historic warehouses, the long-format brick creates a strong horizontal rhythm across the façade, while the bespoke colour complements Grade II* listed Old Sessions House, which faces the development.”
Where would you say the practice’s materials focus is at currently?
Matti Lampila Cast materials and GRCs for external cladding are of interest due to their adaptability in terms of size, shape, colour and texture. By using different-sized and/or coloured aggregates, we can fine tune the appearance of cast components and adapt them to the specific needs of the project. For Broadgate in the City of London, which involves the reworking of a tired 1980s office building, we’re going to create hand-sprayed GRC cladding panels using patterned moulds. This will give the façade a crafted quality with lots of textural variation, depending on how much or little of the aggregate is exposed.
Sofia Steffenoni Materials Assemble has been collaborating with the practice and sharing studio space for the last three years, and as part of this we’ve been exploring precast clay. It’s actually an ancient material that the Romans used to tank aqueducts and, importantly, it does not contain carbon-intensive cement or resins. Instead, it’s made up of recycled crushed clay bricks or tiles and lime. We’ve developed it into a product that has been employed on a number of schemes in the form of internal cladding, large reception desks, and even sinks. It’s a beautiful material that is both ancient and modern.
Matti Lampila We’re also very keen to develop our knowledge and understanding of timber structures. A good example is Grays Inn Road in London, which is the UK’s largest consented all-timber frame office building. We initially considered retaining the site’s existing building, but detailed whole life carbon studies indicated that the proposed glulam and CLT structure would be more sustainable. You need a brave client and contractor to take on a project like this, particularly where issues of material innovation and fire risk are foremost in everyone’s mind.
Plane tree floorboard by Fallen & Felled. “We love the colour and pattern of these boards, as well as the fact that the felled London Plane trees from which they are derived are being put to good use, rather than chipped or incinerated as usually occurs.”
Cathrin Walczyk From an interiors perspective, the practice is particularly drawn to tactile materials, which feel or look interesting and add texture. We recently discovered Fallen & Felled, a company that repurposes wood from felled London Plane trees, rather than the timber being chipped or burned as normally happens. Beautiful products which have a story to tell really appeal to us.
How important are issues of sustainability when it comes to material selection?
Matti Lampila It’s very important, but it’s also a balancing act between the material’s aesthetic, texture, and contextual appropriateness. We often work with manufacturers to ensure material and production processes are as environmentally friendly as possible, while achieving the look and feel we want. For example, on the Appold Street office development in London, we are working with manufacturers to develop a way of maximizing the re-use of the cladding panel moulds so they could deliver all the different panel types needed on the project.
Cathrin Walczyk Sustainability is a complex and constantly moving landscape. Ten years ago nobody would have considered ‘harvesting’ materials and components from demolished buildings for reuse, but now the industry is starting to shift towards this approach. Critically, today’s projects don’t start with a blank canvas; you often start with an existing building or the remains of an existing building, which clearly influence your design decisions.
Matti Lampila On 1 Appold Street we catalogued everything with the strip-out contractor over a three-month period. This resulted in a 120-page document, which was used to ascertain what we could and couldn’t reuse. As a result of this process, we are reusing elements including raised access floors, doors, light fittings, and some cabling.
Cement tiles by Piercy&Company. “These are in-house prototypes for a tile range that is now made in Italy. Instead of using traditional pattern and tile moulds, the different coloured cements were dolloped by hand creating an organic design. The actual tiles are manufactured using graniglia, a material comprising 80 per cent marble waste and 20 per cent cement, which makes them more sustainable.”
Does the practice return to certain materials or is it always looking forward in this respect?
Matti Lampila Timber is one of the key materials that we are interested in using repeatedly for environmental reasons. Another favourite is cast materials because they are so adaptable. Brick is also perennially popular, but we are committed to finding lower-carbon alternatives, such as non-fired products and ones incorporating recycled content.
Sofia Steffenoni New technologies, such as cold sintering, which uses pressure and lower levels of heat, are resulting in more environmentally friendly masonry products. While not all next-generation materials are scalable, there are nevertheless a lot of new and exciting products coming through. 3D printing is another powerful technology that can potentially facilitate on-site manufacturing and use waste materials. incorporating geopolymers. The practice is very interested in the meeting of technology and materials as a means of innovating and greening the construction process.
3D-printed clay tile and rainscreen panel by Piercy&Company. “We’ve been experimenting with 3D-printed clay and producing prototype textured tiles and sculptural rainscreen cladding elements. It’s a useful process for exploring the aesthetic and performance capabilities of this relatively new and untested production technique.”
Are there any materials you would like to use but haven’t been able to yet?
Matti Lampila I’d like to use glazed ceramic cladding. We’ve tried to specify it before but it’s a tough ask in terms of cost and achieving the patterns and forms we want. We’ve actually started experimenting with clay extrusions, so who knows…
Cathrin Walczyk I’m going to say rammed earth.
Matti Lampila That’s brave!
Cathrin Walczyk Yes, but more widely it’s about rediscovering traditional building methods that still hold value in terms of storytelling, sustainability and tactility. Technically, I know that rammed earth is a difficult material, but that shouldn’t stop us from innovating and expanding our knowledge so that it can be used more widely.
Sofia Steffenoni Building with natural materials, such as rammed earth, may require a shift in attitude towards taking greater care of our built environment. We already do this with certain materials, for example oiling natural wood floors, so it’s a case of appreciating that natural products don’t last forever unless we look after them.
Recycled glass by Materials Assemble. “Made from shards of glass waste from the manufacture of handblown glass lamps, this visually striking material will hopefully be specified on one of our projects next year. We’re currently working with the manufacturer to achieve a gradient effect across the glass, which will go from dark to light/transparent.”
Your buildings are always highly crafted regardless of type or scale. Why is this so important to the practice?
Cathrin Walczyk I think it expresses a care and passion for materials and the spaces that we create. It’s self-evident that something that’s been crafted with care not only looks more beautiful and lovable, but also inspires people to look after it. The practice is really concerned with how things are put together, and this shows in our work.
Matti Lampila The idea of crafting aligns closely with the practice’s design approach, which has always relied heavily on model making. This activity allows us to explore forms and intricate details, hopefully resulting in more expressive and resolved buildings.
Does technology play a key role in this too?
Matti Lampila Absolutely. In addition to model making, we produce a lot of CGIs and 3D CAD models. More recently, 3D printing has also allowed us to continue making models while we do other things, which in turn helps to speed up the design process.
Cathrin Walczyk It also helps to have a dedicated team in the studio who are passionately interested in technology and making, and like to stay abreast of the latest production techniques. This always feeds back into our projects, and where possible, we try to give people the time and space to explore and follow these interests.
Cork panel by Materials Assemble. “Unlike traditional cork sheets that use resins or glues to bond the material together, this innovative product employs steam and is therefore more environmentally friendly. The manufacturing process also gives the material a burnt or charred appearance which looks great.”
Do you find it difficult to convince clients to use materials or construction techniques that they are unfamiliar with?
Matti Lampila It can be. Cost often proves to be a stumbling block, alongside obtaining manufacturer guarantees and warranties. This is particularly true for external elements, such as cladding. There is also the issue of ensuring products comply with all the necessary regulations. This has led us to set up an internal R&D lab dedicated to developing new and innovative materials.
Cathrin Walczyk Crucially, this takes materials development off the critical path for live projects, and gives the practice time to obtain the necessary safety and performance-related data that is critical when specifying innovative and/or untried products. It also helps us convince clients to experiment with new materials and construction techniques.
Matti Lampila Our R&D lab is partly inspired by the practice’s dedication to model making; it’s about applying a ‘hands-on’ design approach to materiality, which in turn allows us to explore cladding solutions in more detail.
Cathrin Walczyk I think model and material making are particularly important today, given how much time we spend designing on the computer. The connection between our hands and model making is central to the overall design process, and this has led us to relocate and enlarge our workshop. We are also employing a lot of new technology in the workshop; so it’s not as if we’re luddites – rather we’re using it to make physical objects instead of everything being on screen.
Algal Tile by Materials Assemble. “This highly unusual and innovative tile comprises a dried kelp algae top layer over a bamboo base. It’s not waterproof – yet – but it’s an interesting attempt to create a sustainable product from what are highly renewable and fast-growing natural materials.”
What is your approach to working with manufacturers and craftspeople when developing specific materials and building solutions for projects?
Sofia Steffenoni The relationship between architects and makers is very important, and issues around sustainability have helped to create an even stronger dialogue with artisans in recent years. The knowledge we gain from our own material research allows us to have deeper working relationships with makers, as we are able to share and pool our expertise.
Matti Lampila We tend to engage with manufacturers early on in the design process, which gives them and us plenty of time to design and produce sample panels. Sometimes we make our own sample panels, which we send to manufacturers to demonstrate what kind of finish and aesthetic we are looking for.
Cathrin Walczyk We really enjoy collaborating with makers and manufacturers because they have the in-depth knowledge of their materials or products, and we’re trying to push the envelope of what they can achieve. It’s a mutually beneficial process.
Tile prototype by Mipa and Materials Assemble for Piercy&Company. “This plaster cast prototype tile was made for the Barts Square residential project, and is inspired by lace making at nearby St Bartholomew’s Church. Used to clad window and balcony reveals, the final product is a bespoke, white-glazed ceramic tile cast with a bas-relief pattern.”
Matti Lampila I would add that these relationships aren’t confined to material production. For the Code Bothy research project in High Wycombe, we worked with The Bartlett’s Material Architecture Lab to develop a software programme that instructed the bricklayer where to lay each brick – via VR headset – on the complex geometric structure.
Cathrin Walczyk It was a beautiful marriage of technology and craft; the structure couldn’t have been built without VR technology nor the bricklayer’s considerable manual skills. Sofia Steffenoni In some ways, working with makers and craftspeople is an antidote to the super-consumer, massproduction-led materials market. It allows us to give the building what it actually needs rather than being prescriptive.
