The construction industry is one of the greater culprits in modern society for carbon emissions and waste. But the subject of reuse in construction and architecture is gaining ground. Encouragingly, we are beginning to see material solutions and building processes that are bringing sustainability into the heart of an industry that is currently responsible for 100 million tonnes of waste per year in the UK alone. 

Retrouvius is an architectural salvage and design studio, founded by husband and wife Adam Hills and Maria Speake in Glasgow 27 years ago. Today, based in west London, Adam looks after the salvage side of the business, rescuing architectural materials from buildings of all scales up and down the country. Maria heads up the design firm, giving new lives to old materials in projects that span private houses, hotels, restaurants and retail. 

In this podcast series, Radical Acts: Why Craft Matters, Harewood Biennial curator Hugo Macdonald meets the designers, artists, makers and creators who are using craft and design to tackle the urgent crises that shape our lives.

Radical Acts: Why Craft Matters will open on 26 March 2022 at Harewood House, Leeds. Full details at harewood.org/biennial to be released soon.

This podcast is produced by Bird Lime Media.