In 2010, Tom van Soest was studying at Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands — one of the world’s leading design schools — when he developed an interest in construction and demolition waste. Two years later, he came up with a new material upcycled from demolition waste for his graduation project, drawing the attention of long-time friend and entrepreneur Ward Massa. In 2013, the duo co-founded Amsterdam-based StoneCycling, with the aim of making new building materials from demolition and construction waste.