valentia slate
november 2024
Life etched in Stone. The study of material is fundamental to architecture. For my exploration of materiality, I focused on Valentia Slate, a historic and remarkably durable stone from Valentia Island in southwest Ireland. Inspired by summers spent visiting family in the nearby seaside town of Ballinskelligs, I designed a coastal home constructed from Valentia Slate and glass, blending the dramatic natural landscape with contemporary living.
Through correspondence with the Valentia Slate Quarry, I deepened my understanding of the stone’s geological significance and received an A4 sample to experiment with. Valentia slate preserves 385-million-year-old Devonian tetrapod tracks, a pivotal record of evolution. By engaging with Dr. Iwan Stössel-Sittig, the geologist who identified these tracks, I connected the story of these ancient imprints to the carvings of Ireland’s earliest inhabitants. Using a Dremel tool, I etched Neolithic symbols such as the triskelion into the slate.
