Altrock: from scrap to the sublime

Originating in quarries in Italy, Greece, Spain, Sweden or even further afield, it’s sliced into huge 20mm-thick sheets, and transported to its destined country, to a local marble yard. Here these giant slabs are further cut down into whatever dimensions a buyer needs. Because marble is so expensive, yards aim to squeeze as much usage as possible out of these sheets, but there’s always odds, ends and offcuts. It’s at this part of the process that Altrock founder Robin Grasby swoops in, saving unusable scraps from the skip and transforming them into something truly beautiful.

Altrock, which launched last month, is a durable, waterproof and stain-resistant terrazzo created from 87% reclaimed and recycled stone. It’s Robin’s reinvention of a 2000-year-old material, made by casting these offcuts in a mixture of marble ‘flour’ (a powdery waste product that’s sourced direct from the quarry), resin and coloured pigment.

‘Terrazzo fell out of favour in the 80s, as the trend for solid marble came back, which meant the industry suffered enormously and now there’s only a couple of suppliers left in the UK that are able to produce bespoke terrazzo,’ Robin explains. ‘Only in the last couple of years has it seen a resurgence.’

Trained as a joiner and cabinet maker, Robin founded Altrock after experimenting making his own terrazzo for an interiors project, which opened his eyes to just how much waste marble lies languishing in the UK. To find the most aesthetic, useful slithers (treasures that the industry regards as trash), Robin scours a string of marble yards on the outskirts of the North Circular close to his studio, buying offcuts that the yards often don’t even realise they have. Given it’s a natural material, marble has nice bits, ugly bits and boring bits – Robin’s on the hunt for rock with an interesting pattern or colour, or a beautiful vein, that will make a stunning table top, work surface, or wall covering.

Bundling these choice rocks into his car, Robin then transports them to his Leyton studio for the casting process. 'That's the fun bit because I get to smash all the marble up, and then it's a matter of setting it.’

Standard terrazzo is formed into thick, rough slabs and then machined down to a smaller end product – it’s a wasteful and energy-hungry process. Robin, on the other hand, has developed a technique that uses only what is necessary, refining the process over a year and a half of experiments. There’s almost no waste material in his casting process, no trimming or offcuts. He positions the marble chunks, pours in the marble flour mixture, and then only a final polish and wax oil sealant is needed to make it stain-resistant.

This handmade touch means that Robin can crafts bespoke colours and sizes, perfect for architects and designers with a specific vision. He’s also due to launch a collection of furniture too, so keep an eye out if you’re after something truly unique.