Lulu Harrison Wins £10,000 Ralph Saltzman Prize for Thames Glass

The Design Museum announced on 24 June that London designer Lulu Harrison secured the 2025 Ralph Saltzman Prize, a £10,000 bursary for emerging designers who push sustainability.

Harrison’s project, Thames Glass, repurposes local waste: sand from the Thames, wood ash, and quagga mussel shells supplied by Thames Water. She said the shells, removed in 5,000 tonnes each year, would otherwise clog infrastructure.

Thanks to a partnership with Thames Water, Harrison ground the shells and blended them with sand to create new glass recipes. The resulting material bears natural impurities that give each vessel a distinct hue.

In 2024, Harrison collaborated with London studio Bureau de Change to cast façade tiles from Thames Glass. The tiles, inspired by 19th‑century chimney pots, were displayed at London Craft Week’s Beautility exhibition.

The prize money will allow Harrison to expand her research, prototype larger architectural elements, and showcase her work at the Design Museum’s upcoming 2026 summer program.