notes · 08 March 2026
Working with stone we cannot replace
On material loss, mortar matching, and what conservation looks like in practice.
Coral stone, like most coastal limestones, is a material we cannot fully replace. The quarries that produced the original masonry are mostly closed, and what is available today does not match in colour, density, or weathering pattern.
This is a constraint, not a problem. It forces every decision about loss to be deliberate: where can we consolidate in place? Where must we cut out and replace? Where do we accept the loss and let the building keep the scar?
The wrong answer, almost every time, is to render over the question.
— Berkley Studio All entries →