This designer duo is turning seashells into bricks
Discarded shells from the seafood industry are being used to create a remarkable, sustainable building material.
Image: Courtesy of newtab-22
Hyein Choi and Jihee Moon are the design duo behind Studio newtab-22, a practice with roots in both Seoul and London, where they began their design journey at the Royal College of Art in 2019. The pair focus on natural, novel, or often overlooked materials, exploring their beneficial and intriguing properties to integrate them into contemporary life through their designs.
Studio newtab-22’s most intriguing project is perhaps “Sea Stone”, where discarded seashells are turned into building materials. The project began as a response to a significant environmental issue: the seafood industry and aquaculture discard approximately seven million tons of seashells annually. While some of these shells are recycled as fertilizers, the vast majority end up in landfills or abandoned along coastlines, where they decompose slowly, causing odor pollution and long-term harm to the surrounding land.
Recognizing the untapped potential in these discarded shells, which are composed of over 90 percent calcium carbonate—and are remarkably similar to limestone—Studio newtab-22 saw an opportunity to turn waste into something valuable.
Hyein Choi and Jihee Moon, the design duo at newtab-22.
“We started the project with a genuine interest in shells and the aquafarm industry. Jihee grew up near the seaside in Korea, where she found inspiration and insight from observing aquafarms and the byproducts of seafood restaurants. I also developed an interest in utilizing waste products while working on other personal projects. The Sea Stone project began as a shared passion between us. In the early stages, we focused on the utilization of CaCO3 in seashells, researching theses and articles on the topic, and conducting experiments over several years to explore the possibilities,” says Choi.
Sea Stone is created by combining crushed seashells with natural, non-toxic binders, resulting in a material that mimics the look and feel of natural stone. The production process is both environmentally friendly and resource-efficient, requiring less energy compared to traditional stone processing. The material is highly durable and attractive, making it a great option for various applications in design and architecture. By using Sea Stone, Studio newtab-22 aims to reduce the ecological footprint of the seafood industry while also offering a sustainable alternative to natural stone, which is often extracted through environmentally damaging mining practices.
“We use not only discarded seashells from the seafood industry but also abandoned ones found near seaside towns. Tongyeong, for example, is a town with many aquafarms that serve as the main source of income for the area. However, the locals suffer from the odors and the large amounts of discarded shells. We believe our work can have a positive impact on the lives of the town’s residents and encourage people to rethink their perception of waste utilization,” says Moon.
The process begins with the collection of large volumes of discarded seashells from the seafood industry and restaurants. These shells are then processed, ground, and mixed with other materials such as sand and mineral soil, according to a proprietary recipe developed by Studio newtab-22 over the course of a year. This carefully crafted mixture is designed to maximize the natural benefits, textures, and hardness of the resulting product.
The result is a material with a natural terrazzo-like aesthetic, where each piece is unique. Variations in particle size, color, and the handcrafting process ensure that no two pieces of Sea Stone are exactly alike, highlighting the material’s distinctive character and sustainable origins.
“The local government and other designers have started to use our materials,” says Choi. “Some designers have been inspired by our work, while others have adopted similar processes or outcomes. We see this as a positive impact of starting to use waste, and we hope that the interest in repurposing waste will expand to other categories that have not been considered before.”
Sea Stone’s introduction to the Middle East has been a little slow so far. “We had the opportunity to sell our products at the Museum Shop of the Dubai Future Museum in 2021,” says Moon. However, given the region’s drive in all things green and sustainable, perhaps we’ll see buildings made of shells in the not-too-distant future.