Concrete. Glass. Steel. Stone. Wood. These materials when used in architecture inform our experience of buildings through aesthetic, social and historic experiences. Contributing both structurally and decoratively, their role permeates through the visceral to both a fundamental and integral level. This vast catalogue of architectural forms celebrates these simple materials which support the work of the architecture and their designers, whilst aiding a human relationship to the structures which becomes as strong as the materials in question.

New Essentialism: Material Architecture examines how architecture engages material to create effect through five critical historical thresholds represented by analytical precedents coupled with projective experimental design project families. Unpacking the fundamental methodologies of their geometric, material, spatial, and effectual sensibilities, each threshold builds an examination that reveals the essential methods and processes of design, illustrating the basis for the argument for a New Essentialism: its characteristics, methods and the sensibilities that mark its definition.

As architecture programs throughout the country break out of the classroom and adopt the holistic methods of design/build programs, the need for a textbook that bridges the gap between construction materials and design sensibility is sorely needed.Materials for Design is that book. Students must be taught how a choice of material affects the form and look of a structure; they must also learn how inspired design can inject any material with true personality and zeal. Broken into five sectionsglass, wood, metals, plastics, and concreteMaterials for Design makes a thorough study of each material's properties, followed by a series of 1012 case studies of that material put to imaginative use by today's brightest architects from around the world. There is no other textbook on the market that tackles material details so thoroughly while presenting lush, inspired color photographs, plan drawings, and detailed architectural diagrams.

As architecture and design programs throughout the world break out of the classroom and adopt the holistic methods of design/build programs, the need for a textbook that bridges the gap between construction materials and design sensibility is sorely needed. InMaterials for Design 2, authors Victoria Ballard Bell and Patrick Rand revisit the format of their award-winning first volume and present sixty new case studies of materials put to imaginative use by today's brightest architects. Bell and Rand introduce each material type--glass, concrete, wood, metal, plastic, and stone--with new text describing its history and significance. Accessible case studies highlight recent advances in design and construction around the world--from a wooden church in Finland and huts in Thailand to a bank encased in a glass cube in Denmark. In a materials landscape that constantly changes to meet the demands of contemporary designers,Materials for Design 2 is an up-to-date guide to the best and most exciting materials at their disposal.

Performative Materials in Architecture and Design addresses the convergence of several significant and fundamental advancements in the ways that materials and environments are designed, evaluated, and experienced within architecture and related disciplines. The emergence of experimental and ultra-performing materials, interactive processing systems, and digital design and fabrication techniques has established an interconnected network of technological inputs that has stimulated the development of materials, assemblies, and systems with performative properties. Providing an overview of representative design projects and relevant theories, this volume illuminates both the interaction of these technologies and the role of materiality in research, design, and practice.

Different types of fabrics are frequently used in the fields of temporary architecture and interior design. Because of its soft surface and the visual appearance that comes with it, textile materials mostly create a sense of well-being. As a result of current research and technology, new types of fabrics have been developed with special qualities in terms of load, elasticity and ductility. These can be used also for structural designs, for example in the design of façades, so a wide range of new possibility for its usage is available now. The title Fine Fabric. Delicate Materials for Architecture and Design from the series "architecure and materials" presents 60 international architecture and design projects that show by means of texts, photos as well as plans and drawings the wide variety of how fabric is used today and what can be expected in the future.

How someone else's waste can become the next designer's building material. Everyday, millions of tons of garbage are dumped into landfills and consigned to perpetual disuse. But when creativity meets resourcefulness, waste can become the material for building. Never before in history has the impact of man on this planet been so important. The construction industry is one of the most polluting in the world, so contemporary architects can play a fundamental role by using waste, and--what's more, ingenuity--to convert it into structures that are useful, imaginative, and beautiful. In our society, garbage is considered filthy, and we want only to hide it from sight. Rematerial features projects that rescue discarded materials from paper cups to cargo containers and transform them into imaginative, attractive, efficient buildings and projects that are sustainable, innovative, even daring from a conventional perspective. Rematerial brings to light a movement of diverse professionals from around the world who address this fundamental theme: the reuse of materials with architectonic purpose. Though the results are as varied as the designers, all their proposals stem from the intention of giving new life to what had been thrown out. Complementing the built work shown here, the book presents a series of initiatives aimed at promoting the use of waste in architecture, and articles that illustrate a wide panorama of the contemporary recycling culture.

From internationally acclaimed author and designer Sergi Costa Duran comes a comprehensive guide to the world's most outstanding examples of environmentally-friendly architecture. The Sourcebook of Contemporary Green Architecture features designs from the most provocative architects in the field today, including Renzo Piano, Marc Opdebeeck, Charles Barclay, Mizien Arquitectura, Studio 804, and many others, and showcases projects from prefab houses to public works and beyond.

From eco-friendly sheetrock to sustainable paint finishes, the green building movement is gaining momentum. But with new products, manufacturers, and standards being introduced routinely, how are architects or designers to know what's best for their projects? This book summarizes what is available and the considerations for selecting sustainable materials.

Evaluating building materials for environmental sustainability is a complex prospect. How do governmental agencies and the design industry actually measure sustainable initiatives and environmental impacts? This book breaks down the technical vocabulary and principles that define environmentally sustainable choices across interior and exterior architectural products to help the reader understand: Material ingredient selection Energy and water use Emissions, including greenhouse gases Human health and toxicity Social accountability assessment This guide explains the structure of green certifications, standards and ecolabels, life cycle assessment, environmental regulations, and more. It presents a historic timeline for context and a snapshot of current trends and future objectives. It is a comprehensive reference for interior designers, architects, building owners, contractors, and students enrolled in interior design and architecture.  

NEXT GENERATION BUILDING MATERIALS

The 21st century faces a radical change in how we produce construction materials – a shift towards cultivating, breeding, raising, farming, or growing future resources.

This book presents innovative industrialized production methods for cultivated building materials, like cement grown by bacteria, bricks made of mushroom mycelium, or bamboo fibers as reinforcement for concrete.

Spanning from scientific research to product development and architectural application, this book builds a bridge between the academic and the professional world of architecture.

The book describes the challenges, strategies, and goals in the first part, followed by a second part on bamboo, A cultivated building material and a number of examples in the third part which form the bridge from cultivated materials to building products.
Industrialized cultivated building materials
Presentation of innovative products made of renewable resources
Bridging of scientific research, product development and application