Lecture held on October 24, 2025, 12 PM - 1 PM in Fish Bowl 10-401

Alex Marshall, Vice President of Production, MIT MArch ‘13

Brian Smith, Director of QLab

Sam C. Wen, QLab Design Engineer

Layton Gwinn, QLab Design Engineer

Quarra Website

About Quarra

Founded in 1989 with just six craftsmen, Quarra Stone Company has grown into one of the leading architectural stone fabricators in the U.S. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Quarra bridges centuries-old craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. From hand carving and 3D scanning to robotic milling and digital modeling.

Their projects span from the U.S. Capitol to House of Horns by WOJR to contemporary art installations, translating design intent into enduring material form. This work not only preserves stone’s ancient legacy but redefines its role in shaping today’s built environment.

Q&A Highlights

On Credit and Craft

Question:
When a designer or architect comes to you with an idea, it’s clear the difference between it existing as a Rhino model or a napkin sketch and a real project is your knowledge of the material and fabrication. Does it ever sting that the designers get most of the credit for the finished projects?

Answer:
That’s a great question, and you get used to it. My feelings have changed over the years. Early on, it did sting a bit, especially when our company wasn’t mentioned much, even for major projects like the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at UVA. But as time went on, I realized this dynamic has always existed, even Bernini had unnamed carvers who were arguably better than him.
Now, I’ve come to enjoy being in this role of making without needing recognition. What’s more meaningful is knowing that some of these works will last long after we’re gone. For memorials especially, it’s about what the work represents, not who made it.

Others added that for fine art, they often translate geometry into stone rather than invent it, helping the artist solve technical problems. It’s not a new practice, it’s how stonework has always been, and it will continue that way.

On the Future of Stone in Architecture

Question:
Do you see a future where stone once again plays a more significant structural role in how we make buildings?

Answer:
Yes. Most stone today is used as thin veneer, which I’ve found to be a poor choice. We should re-engage masonry as a true construction system, working with large, structural blocks of stone. It’s abundant, local, and inherently durable.
There’s growing interest in using stone tectonically, like how we see a push for mass timber, I believe we can have mass stone. Some current projects are already exploring post-tensioned or monolithic stone structures.

Stone also performs better environmentally, lower carbon footprint, less waste, and far longer life cycles. But to move forward, architects and engineers need to design the details that allow stone to perform structurally. That means more testing, understanding geology, and engineering to its true capacity.

We’re fascinated by both the archaic and the future: from megaliths like the Jericho Stone to advanced computational fabrication. The key is collaboration, architects, engineers, and makers working together earlier in the process.

On Accessibility and Complexity

Question:
As stonework becomes increasingly complex and technical, how do you make it more accessible, keeping it humble and not overly technified?

Answer:
That’s something we constantly navigate. For example, in the Parallel Nature project, we simplified machining early on, realizing we couldn’t mill every piece to perfect precision without it being cost-prohibitive. Instead, we used efficient fabrication techniques to balance cost and craft.

Each complex project teaches us how to economize, improving material use and sustainability. We now use digital scanning to optimize block utilization, reducing waste and cost.

At the same time, our “design assist” process lets us work with architects and artists early, showing that stone doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive or complex. By collaborating during early design phases, we can make even ambitious projects feasible and affordable.

Ultimately, we’re driven by the challenge: how to make beautiful, durable, crafted work, on budget.