An exhibition of the shortlisted entries for the Stone & Vision Awards is running at The Building Centre in London from 27 June to 8 July.

Photograph by Keval Patel, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

The Stone & Vision Awards is a photographic-based awards from the In Opera Group. One of the principal aims of the awards is to promote discussion about stone and terrazzo in the built environment. Importantly, the photos are all taken by architects and designers – the aim being to encourage a direct relationship between the material and the image. Accompanying each short-listed photograph is a text, which tells the story behind the image.

The Awards were open to architects, landscape architects, interior designers and architecture students in the UK. We are interested in seeing how architects and designers engage with stone and terrazzo, and can be inspired and influenced by possibilities, commented the In Opera Group.

Speaking about the Awards, architectural photographer and awards judge Timothy Soar, said, “I was especially impressed with the level of visual enquiry, the uninhibited attempts to seek new ways of looking at, and thinking about, stone and terrazzo. To see beyond the veil of expected images, to find a very present and vital way to engage. I loved the real attempts to find meaning, and to share, some careful observations of engaging moments.”

Photograph by Emma Flanagan, pH+ Architects

Meet the judges
The winner of the Stone & Vision Awards will be announced on 30th June. This year’s judging panel includes:

Phil Coffey founded Coffey Architects in 2005 to pursue a passion for architecture, natural light, and the environment. He is a hands-on studio leader and enjoys the process of building strong client relationships to deliver exceptional projects, both large and small that inspire and delight. Coffey’s involvement runs from design conception through to completion. He has led Coffey Architects to win numerous major design awards and recognitions. Coffey is a regular contributor to the debate on architecture and urbanism, including public speaking and written and broadcast commentary for press.

Born in Berlin, Amin Taha lived in Baghdad and Southend-on-Sea before moving to London. He is currently chairperson at Groupwork Employee Ownership Trust, teaches and lectures on architecture, has sat for seven years with the RIBA’s National and International Awards jury, and more recently joined the Sir John Soane Museum as a trustee. Groupwork’s Clerkenwell Close project, which features a quarry-finished limestone exoskeleton, was shortlisted for the RIBA’s 2021 Stirling Prize.

Timothy Soar started making architectural photographs on large-format film in the 1980’s. He has run photography workshops at his own studios in Cumbria and London, teaching large-format and digital techniques. He has been featured in numerous photography magazines and been a regular contributor to The Architects’ Journal and Architecture Today Magazine. He has photographed architecture from Seattle to Sydney and has worked with three Pritzker Prize winners, five Stirling Prize winners, seven RIBA Gold Medal winners and nine Stirling Prize nominees.

Enzo Favro, MD of the In Opera Group, graduated with a post-graduate in International Trade in 1990. Following a stint with two market leaders in the textile and man-made materials industry, he started the In Opera Group with a select number of terrazzo and stone factories in Italy. Enzo’s passion for architecture and insight into the stone manufacturing and supply process allowed him to develop a unique business model that links the architects and designers in the UK directly with the manufactures. His hands-on approach and technical expertise has shaped the In Opera Group to become not just a supplier but a partner for his clients throughout numerous projects completed over the last 30 years.

Photograph by Marcus Baron, Britannicus

About In Opera Group
The foundations of In Opera Group (IOG) were laid in the late 1960s in northern Italy – a region at the base of the Apuan Alps, known for its impressive marble quarries and other natural stones. The area sustains a community of stone manufacturers, factories and artisans. And, for the past 50 years, IOG has proudly represented some of the oldest establishments in the region.

Today, IOG comprise the largest factories and manufacturers in Italy, Portugal and the Balkan Peninsula. It is a leading specialist in terrazzo, porcelain and natural stone surfaces, as well as one of the largest suppliers in Great Britain.

The company has worked closely with the architects and firms in charge of major projects, such as Heathrow and Gatwick International Airports, Victoria & Albert Museum, Royal Academy of Arts and other iconic sites and buildings.

Photograph by Sally Morrow, Morrow + Lorraine

Contact Details
For more information about the Stone & Vision Awards 2022, please visit the In Opera Group website. To find out more about the Stone & Vision Awards exhibition please visit The Building Centre website.

Stone & Vision Awards 2022
The Building Centre
26 Store St
London WC1 7BT
27th June – 8th July 2022