Sea Stone by Newtab-22: Turning Seashell Waste into Sustainable Concrete-Like Material

Introduction

Every year, millions of tons of seashells are discarded by seafood and aquaculture industries—wasted material that often ends up in landfills or polluting coastlines. A design company called Newtab-22 from Seoul has developed a material called Sea Stone, which transforms waste seashells into a concrete-like alternative for decorative and small-scale uses. With Sea Stone, seashell debris is being reimagined as usable surfaces, decorative objects, and functional furnishings—all while reducing waste and environmental impact.

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What is Sea Stone & Why It Matters

• Sea Stone is produced by collecting discarded seashells (from seafood or aquaculture), cleaning, grinding them down, and mixing them with natural, non-toxic binders to form solid pieces that resemble concrete or terrazzo. Architecture Lab+1
• The seashells are primarily calcium carbonate (same chemical family as limestone), which makes them well suited for replacing part of the mineral component of concrete-like materials. Ideass Online+1
• The aesthetic effect is unique: each piece retains visible shell fragments, giving Sea Stone a varied, textured, terrazzo-like appearance. No two pieces are exactly alike. Architecture Lab

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How Sea Stone is Made

Sea Stone’s production involves several steps:

1. Collection & Grinding: Seashells are gathered from waste streams in seafood supply chains. The shells are cleaned and ground into fine particles. Architecture Lab+1
2. Binder Mixing: The crushed shell material is mixed with natural binders. Sources indicate that early mixtures experimented with binders like sugar or agar; the final version uses patent-pending, natural binders. Architecture Lab
3. Molding & Solidification: The mixture is placed into molds to form tiles, tabletops, vases, plinths and other small-scale items. The process avoids high heat or energy intensive steps where possible. Architecture Lab
4. Finishing: After curing, surfaces may be polished or finished to produce a hardened, durable surface. The shell fragments give color, texture, and pattern variability. Architecture Lab

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Advantages & Intended Uses

Sea Stone brings several benefits as well as clear use-cases:

• Waste mitigation: It uses seashells that would otherwise need disposal, reducing coastal waste and landfill volumes. Architecture Lab+1
• Lower environmental cost: Because it avoids or minimizes heavy heating and uses more natural binders and recycled input, its embodied energy is lower than traditional concrete or full cement mixes for similar decorative uses. Architecture Lab
• Aesthetic uniqueness: The visible shells provide color and texture variations, creating decorative appeal for surfaces like tiles, tabletops, furniture accents, and décor objects. Architecture Lab
• Small-scale & decorative products: Since Sea Stone is not meant for structural loadbearing walls or heavy infrastructure, its strength is sufficient for small furniture, decorative tile, and object design. Designers and makers can use it for interior surfaces, ornamental elements, or design pieces. Architecture Lab

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Limitations & What Sea Stone Is Not

While promising, Sea Stone has constraints to be aware of:

• Not for large structural use: It doesn’t (as reported) have the compressive strength or durability for load-bearing concrete structural applications. It’s more suited for decorative or light-duty uses. Architecture Lab
• Durability & weather exposure: For outdoor uses or conditions with freeze-thaw cycles, heavy moisture, or mechanical abrasion, additional testing is needed. Binder robustness and finish sealing are important.
• Consistency & scale: Natural product variation, shell sizes, shell types, and binder quality can all impact consistency. Scaling up supply (of clean, appropriate shell waste) and manufacturing capacity is required.
• Environmental trade-offs: Cleaning, grinding, and transport have their own environmental costs. If binders or finishing use high-energy or high-carbon materials, some benefits can be eroded.

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Context & Origin

• Newtab-22 is a design company that began with a focus on material innovation. Sea Stone was developed as a response to the large volumes of shell waste from seafood industries. Architecture Lab
• The founders reportedly started this work while at the Royal College of Art, then moved operations to Seoul, South Korea, where shell waste supply from aquaculture is substantial. Architecture Lab

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FAQs

Q1: How strong is Sea Stone compared to regular concrete?
For decorative and light duty use (tiles, furniture surfaces) it is reasonably strong. But it is not reported (yet) to meet structural concrete specifications for load-bearing walls or infrastructure.

Q2: How durable is it outdoors?
Not fully established. It likely needs protective sealants or coatings for exposure to moisture, UV, or freeze/thaw environments. Indoors or sheltered use is safer.

Q3: Can it be colored or finished in different ways?
Yes — by varying shell fragment sizes, binder blends, and surface finishing, Sea Stone can have different textures and appearances.

Q4: Is this material commercially available or still experimental?
It’s in small-scale commercial or product prototype use (decorative tiles, objects, furniture), rather than mass infrastructure. It is still being developed. Architecture Lab

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Conclusion

Sea Stone by Newtab-22 is an inventive example of turning overlooked waste (seashells) into something beautiful, useful, and more sustainable. While it won’t replace concrete in all its roles, for applications in tile, furniture, decorative surfaces, or interior finishes, it offers a compelling alternative. As long as scaling, consistent supply, durability, and environmental trade-offs are carefully managed, Sea Stone could become a novel material staple for eco-designers and makers looking for alternatives to high-carbon building materials.