Influx

The world of materials is changing dramatically according to Blaine Bronwell of Transstudio. Bronwell spoke about the key trends that were driving change in materials and showed lots of interesting examples.

Material That Insulates and Transmits Light: Cabot’s Nanogel- a substance that’s 99% and 1% quartz that insulates and transmits light.

Glass that Generates Energy: MSK’s Photovotol

Lamps From Recycled Plastic Straws: Padlab’s Honeycomb lamp

Better Wood: Kirei Board is manufactured from reclaimed fiber from the Sorghum plant grown for food. The stalks of this plant are usually burned or thrown into landfills after harvest.

Looks like Stone, but Isn’t: A new material made from old paper, glass, coal and cement can be cast into slabs to resemble limestone.

Material that Reacts to Contact: Tiles or surfaces that react and change upon contact. Colors morph and even words can be written on the material, to be remembered by the material and slowly fade over time.

Most of the innovation in materials is now being driven by environmental and sustainable trends. These material innovators are now giving architects and designers more options to bring environmental innovation into their work.