A building’s materiality is what our bodies make direct contact with; the cold metal handle, the warm wooden wall, and the hard glass window would all create an entirely different atmosphere if they were, say, a hard glass handle, a cold metal wall and a warm wooden window. Materiality is of just as much importance as form, function and location—or rather, inseparable from all three.
Here we’ve compiled a selection of 10 materials that should be part of the design vocabulary of all architects, as well as links to comprehensive resources to learn more about many of them.
1. Concrete
Concrete is the most widely used building material in the world, making it a good starting material to get to know. However it also has significant environmental impacts, including a carbon footprint of up to 5% of worldwide emissions.
2. Wood
One of the oldest, most traditional building materials around the world is of course timber. The material is beginning to take on new forms thanks to engineered wood products, and with high-rise buildings and even translucent properties, this diverse material is being taken to new heights. reThink Wood has a great collection of resources to learn about designing with wood.
3. Steel
The city skylines as we know them exploded out of our discovery of steel, commonly used for reinforcement but serving as a beautiful skin in several examples. The wiki Steel Construction offers everything you could possibly need to know about designing with steel.
Here we’ve compiled a selection of 10 materials that should be part of the design vocabulary of all architects, as well as links to comprehensive resources to learn more about many of them.
1. Concrete
Concrete is the most widely used building material in the world, making it a good starting material to get to know. However it also has significant environmental impacts, including a carbon footprint of up to 5% of worldwide emissions.
2. Wood
One of the oldest, most traditional building materials around the world is of course timber. The material is beginning to take on new forms thanks to engineered wood products, and with high-rise buildings and even translucent properties, this diverse material is being taken to new heights. reThink Wood has a great collection of resources to learn about designing with wood.
3. Steel
The city skylines as we know them exploded out of our discovery of steel, commonly used for reinforcement but serving as a beautiful skin in several examples. The wiki Steel Construction offers everything you could possibly need to know about designing with steel.
4. Stone
Another material used over generations in certain geographical locations around the world, stone has a wide diversity of textures, colors and strengths. Despite its heavy, solid materiality, one can still work with it to achieve diverse forms. The Natural Stone Institute has a variety of resources including fact sheets and specification sheets for many of the most common types of stone used in construction.
5. Glass
Our most used material to achieve transparency and light is without a doubt glass, one of the most commonly used façade elements in contemporary architecture. Some are taking it a step further, attempting to extend its properties to create "intelligent" responsive glass. The Glass Education Centre is a great place to learn more.
6. Brick
Despite its rigid, rectangular shape made to fit in your hand, brick architecture has been shown to create beautiful structures with the right craftsmanship. Innovative thinkers are also finding new ways to incorporate active sustainability into the small building elements. The Brick Development Association has a collection of resources for learning more about brick.
Another material used over generations in certain geographical locations around the world, stone has a wide diversity of textures, colors and strengths. Despite its heavy, solid materiality, one can still work with it to achieve diverse forms. The Natural Stone Institute has a variety of resources including fact sheets and specification sheets for many of the most common types of stone used in construction.
5. Glass
Our most used material to achieve transparency and light is without a doubt glass, one of the most commonly used façade elements in contemporary architecture. Some are taking it a step further, attempting to extend its properties to create "intelligent" responsive glass. The Glass Education Centre is a great place to learn more.
6. Brick
Despite its rigid, rectangular shape made to fit in your hand, brick architecture has been shown to create beautiful structures with the right craftsmanship. Innovative thinkers are also finding new ways to incorporate active sustainability into the small building elements. The Brick Development Association has a collection of resources for learning more about brick.
