material as more than architecture
Several days ago, I stumbled across a manifesto by Bruce Mau – no, not the “Incomplete Manifesto” but rather, one written for Icon Magazine1 in 2007. In it, Mau makes […]
Author Archives: joha0203
Bone Architecture
In 1786, behind a procession of chanting priests, began a parade of black-covered bone-laden horse-drawn wagons that continued for years.1 The transfer and exhumation of all Paris’ dead to the […]
Bubble Architecture
As kids, making and chasing bubbles was a source of great entertainment. For some of us adults, it may still be. In architecture, the idea of bubbles has inspired […]
Soft Kill Option
In the creation of any type of structure, there is an energy cost required to produce and maintain the materials that make up that structure. In the natural world, energy […]
Microcontrollers as Material
This week in studio we were given a tutorial on Arduino, an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It’s intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and […]
Solid Fabric
A change in physical state of a material can have powerful implications for architecture. It can also have a powerful impact on the mind. The process of creating solid materials […]
Microbial Materials
It is common practice for architects and builders to think and treat building materials as if they are static and dead: In a literal sense, this is accurate – though, […]
Pattern or Purity: Organized Chaos in Material Application
The bio-inspired studio I’m currently in is providing much food for thought in terms of materials in architecture. The more I learn, the more it is clear that nature has […]
A Printed Future?
Often, as designers, what we are able to dream up in the digital realm pushes the boundaries of what is achievable in the physical world. Through such expansive thinking, we […]
Material Interrogation: UK Pavilion for Shanghai World Expo 2010
Heatherwick studio is a design firm that clearly has an interest in making architecture that involves the user in a physically interactive way. From their Rolling Bridge, to their Longchamp […]
Digital Wood
Brick, Concrete, Steel, Stone, Wood. Of these commonly used building materials, wood is the only one that was a living thing directly prior to its use in a building. Embedded […]
Bubble Deck
Concrete is a material that is both old and new at the same time. Invented in its first form by the Romans, concrete continues to be highly innovated on today, […]
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 […]
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 […]
Material Focus. San Telmo Museum Expansion by Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos
The original San Telmo Museum building, a Dominican convent built in the 16th century, is the result of a long process of successive modifications that have partially altered its physical […]
Material Strategies 
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