Sand
Sand has had a very passive role within construction: it is the preferred material to build on, and is used as aggregate in concrete and mortar, as well as other […]
Daily Archives: September 21, 2012
MoMA PS1: Wendy by HWKN Architects
MoMA’s PS1 is the collision of several different architectural programs and social functions. The addition of a tall concrete wall attached to re-purposed elementary school divides the hectic street life […]
Reconsidering the Stud
The 2×4 stud has long been relegated to the hidden cavities of suburban walls, perpetually distanced sixteen inches from his brethren. Balloon and platform construction methods have left the architectural industry […]
The Many Meanings of Wood
To ask a similar question that Chris Brenny asks about brick, I would like to ask what is the role of wood in the built environment today? We have […]
Learning from Temperature Sensitive Materials
These temperature sensitive tiles from Moving Color caught my attention this week. They are composed of recycled glass with a temperature sensitive film embedded in the glass. They can be activated […]
The Ultimate Renewable Resource
No architectural material has been more widely used throughout history as straw. From African huts, to thatched roofs in Asia and Europe, to its use as insulation in Native American […]
Create Your Own Tools: Innovation Through a Product Line
Olson Kundig Architects make architecture “that celebrates the moments when people become kinetically involved with the buildings and spaces they inhabit.”1 Through cranks, pulleys, levers, slides, and other manually operated […]
Material Dynamics: Skin and Asphalt
One time, when I was about five years old, the hand-held telescope that I had tied around my neck with a hockey skate lace got caught up in the spokes […]
Local Strategies in a Global World
This past Wednesday the UMN School of Architecture had the honor of hosting Mumbai based architect Rahul Mehrotra for a lecture on his architectural work and ideas. A major theme […]
Materials at Room Temp.
Recent discussions in a Bio Inspired design studio have reminded me of a material topic I have been enthused by since I discovered its existence. I’d like to use this […]
Dynamic Ceramics
Mood Tiles? The connection between these heat sensitive ceramic tiles and the reoccurring fad in jewelry is clear to make, but where is the innovation? The technology/know how of making […]
HUMAN+HAIR MAT
Material: Ottimat Manufacturer: World Response Group Sources: http://www.ottimat.com Features: This mat recycles human hair and is often used to clean chemical substances due to its special capabilities for […]
Mass Innovation
Considered “the Pierce-Arrow of the American building industry,” the outdated practices of arch construction evolved to produce an organically compelling defeat of gravity in an age where manufacturing and automation were […]
Material Strategies 
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