Last week I found myself in Zürich, Switzerland, which in itself is somewhat unusual for a person who typically lives and works in the great state of Texas.  To add to that, while installed in said location I experienced one of those intensive periods of excitement and discovery that only happen when you toss yourself and an over-stuffed rolling suitcase headlong into a foreign country and participate in a workshop in order to learn how to screen print electroluminescent lamps (and also to learn that, although they are healthier, multigrain croissants are simply not as delicious as the regular kind).

I should preface this by explaining, as I did many times to curious collaborators over the course of a week skipping up and down five flights of art school stairs coated in phosphor ink, exactly how I came to be in Switzerland in the first place.  The travel process was pretty standard, actually: I took a car to the airport, and then flew to another airport, and then another one, and then rode an extremely quiet and efficient train into Zürich, which turned out to be an extremely quiet and efficient city.

But in all seriousness, I’d like to extend sincere thanks to Manuel Kretzer, CAAD – Chair of Computer Aided Architectural Design, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Karmen Franinovic, Interaction Design, DDE, Zurich University of the Arts, Daniel Bisig, Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology, DMU, Zurich University of the Arts, and Rachel Wingfield and Mathias Gmachl of Loop.pH, along with my amazing fellow workshop collaborators, all of whom I consider excellent, encouraging, and genius-tastic new friends, for the opportunity to participate in the Actuated Matter Workshop because … the experience was completely epic.

So epic, in fact, that I am in the process of producing a series of posts that focus on each of the materials/technologies that we investigated (I will turn the list into a series of links once everything is written because only today am I over my debilitating jet lag/have finished doing all my laundry):

Glass-fiber Reinforced Plastic

Electroluminescent (EL) Lamps

Electro-active Polymer (EAP)

Printed Loudspeakers

Thermochromic Ink

Although I have written about some of these items in the past, I must confess to you all that a hands-on approach where you try to make these materials do something specific has given me a new insight – and I almost feel like each has a distinct personality (and some may even have distinct personality disorders).

Another thing I noticed was that there is a peculiar rush associated with actuating matter – when Manuel casually electrocuted our EL lamps into functionality, I felt like Dr. Frankenstein watching the monster open his eyes for the first time and it flooded me with a curious mixture of fascination and relief (not to mention a bit of suprise that the modules actually worked after the number of failed trial attempts).

EL Modules from ARCHITERIALS on Vimeo.

And, lucky for us, the EL lamps did not turn around and run out the door to kill innocent villagers like Frankenstein’s monster.  Well, at least, not as far as I know….

Day to day I tend focus primarily on specific materials and how they’re unique and different from each other.  I’m interested in how or why a material was developed and I like to think about ways it might become useful. But sometimes it’s also fascinating to think about the things materials have in common, and to consider how different substances might be able to do the same job at different scales.

Image courtesy good.com

Designer Dror Benshetrit of Studio Dror likewise stumbled across a unique geometric configuration while working in his studio – geometry that functions as a joint, and which can be used to build anything from tiny objects you can hold in your hand to massive structures such as bridges and highway partitions.  Called QuaDror, the geometry was recently presented at the Design Indaba conference in Cape Town.  Diagonal framing members interlock and carry gravity loads, while simultaneously resisting lateral loads. The geometry can be produced from flat sheets, and it expands to resist loading.

QuaDror from Dror on Vimeo.

Images courtesy Studio Dror

“QuaDror’s multi-scalar application is an advantage, allowing the joint to be applied in small models, buildings, and bridges alike. Given its rapid assembly and light weight, it may also be utilized in disaster recovery housing. Perhaps the system’s greatest contribution is the convincing demonstration that form and performance are mutually beneficial” (Brownell).  It makes me wonder – is this design so compelling because it feels fractal?  Are there any specific materials whose properties enhance the performance of the geometric configuration?

WU XING:

This one gets filed everywhere and nowhere!

Cited:

Brownell, Blaine. “Quadror” Transmaterial.net 03/04/11. Accessed 04/19/11. URL.

Have you met TED?

No, I’m not playing wingman for Ted Mosby.  TED is a conference during which exceedingly smart, skillful people present their work in 20 minutes or less.  The presentations are published on the Internets and made available to the world at large for the low price of $free.99.  TED talks are an amazing source of inspiration and information – and some of them feature innovative materials! Therefore, in this post I present three TED talks that relate in some way to the content on ARCHITERIALS:

 1. Thomas Thwaites: How I built a Toaster from Scratch – TED Salon London, 2010.

“It takes an entire civilization to build a toaster. Designer Thomas Thwaites found out the hard way, by attempting to build one from scratch: mining ore for steel, deriving plastic from oil … it’s frankly amazing he got as far as he got. A parable of our interconnected society, for designers and consumers alike.”

This talk resonated for many reasons, not the least of which is that I’ve been trying to make plastic at home and it’s quite difficult. You can see the results of some of my early experiments here on flickr.

2. Kate Orff: Reviving New York’s Rivers – with Oysters! TED women, 2010.

“Architect Kate Orff sees the oyster as an agent of urban change. Bundled into beds and sunk into city rivers, oysters slurp up pollution and make legendarily dirty waters clean — thus driving even more innovation in “oyster-tecture.” Orff shares her vision for an urban landscape that links nature and humanity for mutual benefit.”

Oysters are amazing creatures. Laste year I wrote about the adhesive they use to adhere themselves to this and that underwater object (read the post here) and I will admit that since the time of that writing I ate one. That’s right people – I ate an oyster (cooked and covered with butter and cheese). I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it, but then again is there anything that doesn’t taste pretty good when coated in butter and cheese? On second thought, don’t answer that.

3. Eben Bayer: Are Mushrooms the New Plastic? TED global, 2010.

“Product designer Eben Bayer reveals his recipe for a new, fungus-based packaging material that protects fragile stuff like furniture, plasma screens — and the environment.”

I also wrote about mushrooms as a building material/packing material, and it’s nice to be able to learn about the product from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. Not that Eben Bayer is in any way like a horse (it’s a metaphor). And, in case you wondered, I have not voluntarily eaten mushrooms since I wrote about how they are being used as a packing material.

Hope you enjoyed these talks as much as I did – and if you stumble across any other videos that are materials-centric please let me know in the comments or send me an email.

ARCHITERIALS is a year old now, and like most healthy, well-adjusted one-year-olds it needs to be changed constantly, crawls all over my apartment, and makes strange burbling noises.  No, really – it does.  It’s terrifying.

Over the past year I’ve profiled approximately 65 materials and learned about blogging, bacteria, and biscuits, although I must confess that the biscuts were a side project.  A delicious, buttery side project.  Anyhow, to celebrate the birthday of ARCHITERIALS and the fact that the tagline “Investigating architectural materials since 2010” has finally attained temporal legitimacy, I’ve compiled for this, the 10th day of January,  a list of 10 materials from 2010 that are generally awesome.  I’ve also summarized the awesomeness of each material in a brief paragraph, and I’ve tried to frame each one as part of a larger, sort of big-picture trend in materials science that I’m studying.  Should you click on the links and read the detailed posts about each material for more information? Definitely. 

Finally, thank you so much to those who’ve submitted information, followed, liked, and posted photos over the past year, I appreciate it more than you can imagine!  Keep the materials coming and do tell your friends if your friends seem like people who might be interested in ARCHITERIALS.

Ten Awesome Materials from 2010 and Reasons They are Awesome:

1.  Materials that can be deployed in disasters or used to improve living conditions:  Concrete Cloth

Concrete cloth is a concrete-impregnated fabric that is fire-proof, waterproof, moldable, drapeable, durable and generally fantastic.  Applications include: gabion reinforcement, sandbag defenses, ground surfacing/dust suppression, ditch lining, landing surfaces, formwork, spill containment and landfill lining, waterproofing, building cladding, boat ramps, erosion control, roof repair, water and septic tanks.  Concrete cloth solves problems you don’t even know you have, although nothing can repair your terrible relationship with your mother-in-law.   

2.  Sustainable, non-toxic materials:  Reclaimed Wood and Agricultural Fiber Panels

Kirei Board, Kirei Coco Tiles and Kirei Wheatboard made from the non-food portions (stalks and husks) of sorghum, coconut, and wheat plants.  The agricultural fiber that’s not sold by farmers for use in the manufacture of Kirei board takes up space in landfills or gets burned up and pollutes the air – therefore repurposing it cuts down on that sort of thing.  Sustainable building materials make the planet happy, and a happy planet makes for happy people. 

3.  Biodegradable materials:  Arbofoam

As it turns out, lignin can be transformed into a renewable plastic if it’s combined with resins, flax and other natural fibers. The resulting bio-plastic, called Arboform, can be thermoformed, foamed, or molded via injection machines.  It’s durable and super-precise when it’s cast, and it degrades similar to wood into water, humus, and carbon dioxide. It’s very cool stuff indeed and I’d love it if someone would send me information about a project where it’s been used.  Biodegradable materials cut down on landfill and reduce environmental pollution. 

4.  Thermoplastic/thermoelastic/thermoformed/thermo-etcetera materials:  Chemical Velcro

How could you not get excited about an adhesive 10 times stickier than Velcro and the reusable gecko-inspired glues that many research groups have been trying to perfect that comes apart when heated??!  I have been trying without success to get my hands on some of this to build demountable partition walls for my tiny apartment, and I’m not giving up.  Materials that respond to changes in temperature by changing their behavior or attributes will find widespread application in the future. 

5.  Materials that clean and sanitize themselves:  Liquid Glass

Liquid glass a coating that takes advantages of the unique properties of materials at nanoscale.  It is environmentally harmless and non-toxic, and easy to clean using only water or a simple wipe with a damp cloth. It repels bacteria, water and dirt, and resists heat, UV light and even acids.  According to manufacturers, you can spray liquid glass on everything from wood to seeds to your sneakers.  It could someday replace all the toxic cleaning products you currently use to tidy and disinfect, and it reportedly costs about 8 dollars.  Materials that clean and sanitize themselves cut down on the need for toxic chemicals and pollutants. 

6.  Materials that emit light efficiently:   White LED Lights

White LED lights emit more light than a typical 20-watt fluorescent bulb, as well as more light for a given amount of power. With these improvements, the new LEDs can replace traditional fluorescent bulbs for all general lighting applications, and also be used for automobile headlights and LCD backlighting.  Shedding light on any given subject has never been more efficient.  As we transition to alternative forms of energy we are also looking for materials that emit light without using much energy in the first place.

7.  Nanomaterials:  Gold Nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles can be used to further increase the efficiency of LED lights.  Researchers have implanted the particles in the leaves of aquatic plants, causing the leaves to emit red light.  Theoretically, the light produced by the leaves could cause their chloroplasts to conduct photosynthesis, meaning that no additional energy source would be needed to power the process.  In fact, the leaves would actually work overtime, absorbing CO₂ at night.  Nanomaterials allow us to intervene in processes like photosynthesis with a previously unheard-of degree of delicacy.

8.  Materials that augment already useful material properties:  Bendywood 

Bendywood is wood that has been pre-compressed so that it can be easily bent by hand.  The tension that forms on the outside of a bend merely returns the plant cells to their former shape, and the wood doesn’t break.  The material is delightfully flexible and pliable.  Bendywood was developed for indoor uses such as furniture, handrails, or curved mouldings, and it shows enormous promise.  Materials like Bendywood amplify the appealing properties of familiar materials so that it’s even easier to use them to our benefit.

9.  Bio-based materials:  Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP)

At the intersection of biology and solar tech, there are jellyfish that produce green fluorescent protein (GFP).  Dripping GFP onto a silicon dioxide substrate between two electrodes causes it to work itself into strands, creating a circuit that absorbs photons and emits electrons in the presence of ultraviolet light.  The electron current (aka electricity) can then be used to power your hairdryer.  I’m completely fascinated by materials that help us to blur the boundaries between biological and man-made machines.

10.  Materials that repair themselves:  Bacilla Filla

Bacilla Filla is a material that patches up the cracks in concrete structures, restoring buildings damaged by seismic events or that have deteriorated over time.  Custom-designed bacteria burrows deep into the cracks in concrete, where they produce a mix of calcium carbonate and a special bacteria glue that hardens to the same strength of the surrounding concrete.  Materials that can detect their own flaws and damage and repair themselves will revolutionize the way we build and think about building materials in the future.

Context changes how we perceive materials.  For example, if you were to examine a carpet from a distance of 1.5″ (as you might do if you’d tripped on up the stairs and upon landing found yourself face to face with the ground) the experience would be completely different than if you were to view it from 5′-6″ feet away (as you might do if you were walking around in a competent manner).  Close up, you’d see the loops and fibers that make up the carpet, and you might be able to perceive the backing that holds it all together.  You’d probably also be able to smell the carpet (and whatever had been spilled on it).  Once you assumed a more vertical orientation, colors and patterns that you couldn’t see at close range would become evident and individual loops would be more difficult to see.  The carpet would start to act as a background or field against which other objects like chairs, pogo sticks, and coffee tables would stand out.

The Two Photo Texture Challenge came out of this line of thinking.  I asked members of the ARCHITERIALS Flickr group (which I hope you will consider joining if you like to take photos of materials, or if you like to look at photos of materials) to post two photos.  One would be taken at close range, pretty much devoid of context but revealing details about a material that might otherwise escape notice; the other would be taken at a distance and would provide the “aha” moment that would set the first image in context.  I didn’t get a ton of what you’d call participation on account of the Flickr group being somewhat new, but the entries that were posted by group members were fantastic!  See the results below, and check out the photostreams by duon, twi$tbarbie, and electronicxs if you get the chance!

Images above courtesy duon

Images above courtesy electronicxs

Images above courtesy moi

Images above courtesy twi$tbarbie

If you missed out participating in the challenge you’re welcome to post photos below in the comments section!  There will be myriad opportunities for fun with photos of materials in the coming months so check out the Flickr group with regularity. That’s all I’ve got!

Images courtesy Studio Conover

You’ll be happy to know that in San Diego, California, a ray of hope shines like a beacon up from the inky dark hole of architectural product literature.  Said ray of hope is Studio Conover, “a cross-disciplinary company focusing on architectural consultation, materials specification and product design for the built environment. [They] specialize in exterior colorways and materials specification consultation with architects, builders and developers,” according to David Conover, the eponymous owner of the studio.  Really, they’ve got a great idea.  Information about a product that is organized, accurate, and communicated in a clear and aesthetically pleasing manner attracts architects like honey attracts bears, which makes it more likely that they will specify a certain product or material (the architects, not the bears).

The studio also happens to put out a fantabulous blog called Contexture that is full of useful information (some of which I am currently reviewing as I try to fix all the Internet Explorer CSS bugs I’ve managed to incorporate into this website in the past few days).  The name for the blog is a mashup of the words Conover and Texture, which is an appropriate connotation, given that:

“Much of our process involves working texture within and throughout the context of the particular job at hand. Whether we’re selecting a specific brick shape, color and installation pattern for a residential community, referencing an archaic woodtype letterform or contemplating the coarseness of cement or paper, texture remains a predominant underlying component simply because it is so representative of the products and projects we work on.”

Hopefully, people who make the stuff we use to construct buildings will use the people who design the stuff that explains what people make to help the people who design the buildings, and everyone will be better off!

*I’ve been meaning to write a post about plastic grass for ages, but since lawns in general are a hot button issue for me, I’m afraid it’s just going to be a massive rant.  I guess this post started out as a rant too – sorry.

By the way, ARCHITERIALS can also be searched by tags – look for the amazing tag cloud in the sidebar if you have flash, and for the less amazing tag list if you do not.

ARCHITIZER

“Architizer is a new way for architects to interact, show their work, and find clients. It is an open community created by architects for architects. One architectural project has dozens of contributors, from the intern who made the conceptual models to the construction administrator. A project on Architizer links all members of the architectural community.”

I tend to think of Architizer as a kind of portfolio-driven facebook/linked-in hybrid for Architect types.  If you scroll down the homepage past a slightly slow to load map, you will find a block titled “Materials” just above one called “Suppliers” where all the tags are listed.  These allow you to sort through projects by, you guessed it, material or vendor.  They’ve got an informative blog going as well, which is highly enjoyable.

ARCHDAILY

“ArchDaily was founded in March 2008 with the one mission of delivering the most complete information to architects around the world; every week, every day, every hour, every moment: as soon as it is happening. It is the online source of continuous information for a growing community of thousands of architects searching for the latest architectural news: projects, products, events, interviews and competitions among others.”

Here again you can sort blog posts by keyword, and although the keyword section is not particularly materials-centric, the cloud contains generic material related keywords.  Scrolling down and looking to the “Browse By Category” section, you will find the helpful “Building Technology and Materials Category” for your delectation.

OPEN BUILDINGS

Open Buildings is a “crowd sourced global directory of buildings” with a corresponding iPhone App.  You can use the app to find buildings that have been submitted to the site while you are on the go.  It’s also possible to visit their website and sort the projects that are featured there by material; simply navigate to the search page and scroll down until you see “by material” on the side of the page.

 Please enjoy searching through projects by material, and do let me know if you have other sources!

I’m not sure how New Video figured out that I’d be interested in watching an approximately 90 minute documentary film featuring the work of a famous Dutch architect mostly in subtitled German with numerous interviews conducted in English, but that’s what happened.  I will say for the record that if it means watching interesting movies, I don’t really mind that my demographic profile has been targeted and acquired by I-don’t-know-who (though I guess anyone in my demographic would say that).  Anyhow, to cut to the chase, I watched* and enjoyed the Arthouse Films release, which is conveniently available on iTunes, entitled REM KOOLHAAS: A KIND OF ARCHITECT.

First of all, while the film isn’t exactly designed to generate pulse-pounding, white-knuckle suspense, I have no intention of spoiling the ending.  So I’ll provide you with the official film synopsis to (hopefully) get you all kinds of intrigued, discuss the portion of the film that was concerned with Koolhaas’ use of materials (because that’s really why we’re all here today, no?) and then I’ll get back to my traditional blog-type activities, such as spending two hours pouring over images of cork flooring only to find myself writing a detailed post about robot spiders.

Official Synopsis:

“Rarely has an architect caused as much sensation outside of the architecture community as Rem Koolhaas. His outstanding creations—such as the Dutch Embassy in Berlin, the Seattle Library and the Casa da Musica concert hall in Porto—are working examples of the Dutchman’s visionary theories about architecture and urban society. But Koolhaas’ work is as much about ideas as it is about constructing buildings; he is equally celebrated as a writer and social commentator. For Koolhaas, what is essential is not to create individual masterpieces, but to provoke and excite through the wide range of his activities.  REM KOOLHAAS: A KIND OF ARCHITECT is an engaging portrait of a visionary man that takes us to the heart of his ideas.  Directors Markus Heidingsfelder and Min Tesch have made a visually inventive, thought-provoking portrait of the architect, prompting Rem Koolhaas to state, “It’s the only film about me that I have liked.”

The film cuts between footage from interviews of Rem Koolhaas, images of his projects, and commentary by OMA employees and outside architecture critics.  There are also engaging collage-like sequences where a little 2D puppet of Rem Koolhaas interacts with cut-outs of buildings, etc.  Most of the time it’s zippy enough to keep a person committed to reading the subtitles, but sometimes I found myself muttering, “Wann wird das Ende?”

Eventually, discussion turns to Rem’s treatment of architectural materials.  Oftentimes in his projects, expensive materials are paired with cheap ones.  For example, at the Casa da Musica concert hall in Porto, the interior finish consists of simple plywood panels that have gold leaf applied in a large-scale wood-grain pattern.  Gyp board walls are mudded and taped but left unpainted.  The pairing of cheap and expensive materials may be intended to heighten tension and highlight the contrast between them, but I think occasionally it all sinks to the lowest common denominator.

I liked the enigmatic and fast-paced montage of materials and textures from various Koolhaas projects.  I grabbed a few screenshots from this segment for your perusal (but I’ll take them down if this makes anybody mad).

So – check out REM KOOLHAAS: A KIND OF ARCHITECT, and let me know what you thought about it in the comments!

*Full disclosure: I wasn’t paid to watch/review/endorse/criticize the film, but they did send a free digital copy and hoped I’d write about it.  And I did!

**”Just Exactly How Long is this Documentary Anyhow?”