Matter at hand + Darwen Terracotta

Could we create a new wave of affordable, low-carbon homes, cast from the ground beneath our feet?

Over the course of a two year residency, Matter at hand worked with Darwen Terracotta to develop Poured Earth, exploring the potential for a new construction method in which earth buildings are cast in liquid form.

Earth has been used as a building material for thousands of years, but the tradition has largely been lost in the UK, where the slow, labour-intensive nature of methods like rammed earth are a barrier in our construction industry. Working in collaboration with Darwen Terracotta, Matter at hand has developed fluid, castable earth mixes which can be poured like concrete, paving a way for earth to make its way onto mainstream building sites.

At Prism Contemporary, a series of clay models slipcast by Darwen Terracotta sat stoically in a row, like building blocks in the manufacturer’s production line. They presented a vision for a low carbon reimagining of the British mass housing solution – the factory terrace. The models were shown alongside drawings, and accompanied by new writing by Niamh Riordan exploring the legacy of 20th Century visions for liquid housing.

‘Single pour’ earth walls provided load-bearing support, with both thermal storage and hygroscopic properties. Curved cores contained stairwells, bathrooms and services whilst allowing each house to be designed and occupied uniquely around them. In generations to come, full-scale housing could be entirely compostable: shifting from liquid earth to solid house, and back to earth again if desired. A Poured Earth house is simply held in shape, for as long as it’s needed.

We are currently faced with a crisis in both our housing and our climate. The ambition of Poured Earth is built on the knowledge that unexpectedly inventive responses emerge when we reconfigure the familiar. When we stop thinking about the ground beneath us as an immovable foundation, and once-used material as waste, we might be in a position to reconsider the initial question; why not create new homes, cast from the ground beneath our feet?

Explore year one of Matter at hand’s residency here.

The Artist

Matter at hand is the design practice of Lewis Jones, a designer working across architecture, material science and hands-on construction. His work is rooted in an investigation of the materials and processes that shape our built environment. Through deep material research and hands-on experimentation, he works with waste, industrial by-products, and natural resources to develop more resourceful and equitable ways of building.

Jones has a background in architectural practice and material production, co-founding the Turner Prize-winning architecture collective Assemble and the design-led ceramics manufacturer Granby Workshop. He is a Senior Lecturer in Architecture at Newcastle University, where his teaching and research explore material reinvention and re-use. Across research and design practice, Jones explores how inventive and unexpected solutions to the problems at hand can be found in a deeper understanding of the materials and resources around us

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The Manufacturer

Darwen Terracotta is a leading manufacturer of architectural terracotta and faience, specialising in both historic restoration and new-build projects. A double winner at the Red Rose Awards 2025 for the “Made in Lancashire” and “Export” categories, Darwen Terracotta continues to showcase the excellence of British manufacturing on a global stage by blending traditional techniques with modern design.

This is the fourth Art in Manufacturing residency hosted by the industry leaders, who have supplied products to international artists including Grayson Perry’s A House for Essex, and Richard Deacon. They have been involved in prestigious architectural projects internationally, from the Natural History Museum and the Royal Albert Hall to The Londoner at Leicester Square.

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