It was the first of a series of cultural and social spaces she and her partner Lettice Drake created using materials both low-budget and local. Material Cultures grew out of connections Gormley made while she was teaching at London Metropolitan University. The trio had a shared interest in sustainability and building practices, as well as a frustration with the architecture world’s focus on improving sustainability through high-tech design. Instead of using modern methods to build more efficient commercial and residential spaces from carbon-intensive materials like steel, they thought, why not revisit first principles? Build with locally sourced, natural materials and you don’t have to worry about making up a carbon deficit in the first place.