This book provides an understanding of the environmental impact of materials, manufacturing processes and product lifecycles, and a guide on how to select and use them in an intelligent way. Product designers are presented with a myriad of choices when creating their work and preparing it for manufacture. They have to be both completely informed and knowledgeable about how their designs can be produced efficiently, effectively and in an environmentally sensitive way. The book offers unparalleled information on both traditional and established materials and processes as well as emerging technologies. Simple yet detailed in their presentation, each material, process or lifecycle features a full technical description, concise notes on its suitability, efficiency, cost-effectiveness and environmental impact. Easily referenced parts - Materials, Processes and Lifecycle - are packed with practical information and in-depth analysis on 15 materials, 14 processes and six production lifecycles.

En udgivelse om Helle Vibeke Steffensens arbejde med bygningskeramik, oplevelsesmæssige bearbejdninger af byggeri, byrum og landskab gennem mere end 25 år. Med bidrag af Lise Seisb¢ll, direkt¢r for Danmarks Keramikmuseum Grimmerhus, forlægger Kristian Berg Nielsen og mag.art. Rasmus Kjærboe.

The materials used in architecture inform our experience of buildings and spaces through the interplay of aesthetic, social and historic considerations. Both structural and decorative elements have a role to play, whether immediately visceral or only on a subliminal level. Human beings have a relationship to the materials, one that is colored by our values and expectations and not easily set aside. Continued innovations by architects at the vanguard of design have pushed the limits of acceptance - envisioning unique and often surprising structures challenging our preconceptions. Glass, stone, concrete, steel and wood all compete for our attention - their best characteristics presented by the brilliant architects featured, successfully showcasing each material''s full range of implementation.

Wood has the power to fascinate and inspire. From time immemorial, this versatile and renewable raw material has been used by designers from every discipline. Today, new finishing technologies are broadening the range of its uses and making surprising solutions possible. Wonder Wood presents this timeless material as it is being used today, and documents a selection of some one hundred current international projects by celebrated designers, architects, and artists whose cre-ative and innovative approach to the material makes their work compelling. For selected projects, interviews with the designers provide an in-depth look at the creative process and its results. A second section shines a spotlight on selected woods, wood-based materials, wood composites, and finishing technologies and presents project examples that use them. An alphabetical index provides background information on the designers represented in the book.

Wood has always been a stong contributing factor in the creation of interesting architecture. Because of its special physical characteristics, its many possibilities of application and combination with other construction materials, since human beings began building houses, wood has been one of the main building materials. In addition, because of the increasing sensitivity for the protection of resources the ecological potential of wood as a renewable raw material wood has gained in significance. To build with wood has been for years and is still a trend topic, this volume is a road tour of contemporary wood architecture. The many possibilities for use of this natural building material are shown with texts, photos, facts and drawings, as well as the innovative construction techniques which have extended these possibilities.

This book presents the possibilities of using plastic as a building material in contemporary architecture. It consists of two parts. GUIDELINES: presents the properties of various plastics, their possible uses, the main issues around the use of plastics and a selection of finished plastic products that are available on the market and can be used in construction. CASE STUDIES: a selection of 20 projects where architects have used plastic in creative, innovative and exemplary ways. All projects are presented extensively with plans, photographs and technical details.

This book is a complete overview of the use of metal in contemporary architecture. It consists of two parts. TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Includes the properties and uses of all metals used in construction, corrosion and oxidation of metals, treatment and protection of metallic elements and a presentation of the products and technologies that are available for contemporary metal construction. CASE STUDIES: Presents 22 recent projects where metal has been used in an exemplary or innovative way. Included are projects of Frank Gehry, Enric Miralles, Future Systems and other architects that work with metal. The presentation focuses on the technical qualities of each project including detailed plans and color photographs.

This book is an overview of glass technologies and design ideas about the use of glass in contemporary architecture, presented in two parts. TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Includes the properties and types of glass, the main problems and considerations in the use of glass as a building material, the possible damages and alterations of glass, the treatment and maintenance of glass elements and a selection of contemporary innovative materials based on glass that are available on the market. CASE STUDIES: Presents 24 projects by architects like Renzo Piano, Enric Miralles, MVRDV and others where glass has been used extensively in innovative and exemplary ways. The presentation of the projects focuses on the technical aspects and includes detailed drawings and color photographs.

Hardly any other material unites such contradictory associations, stigmatized on the one hand, celebrated on the other - concrete is still in the spotlight. Its almost inexhaustible potential and ever new applications and possibilities make it a most valuable building material. Especially in combination with other building ware it displays an astonishing flexibility of utilization. Recent developments leading to new possibilities have inspired architects and designers to innovative and exciting solutions. The contemporary projects presented in this volume provide impressive testimony to the many faces of concrete and how much design potential it possesses. The publication shows with impressive images and distinct texts the ongoing relevance and inimitable fascination of concrete.

The choice of materials is critical to the success of an interior. This book examines every aspect of the the use of materials in interior design, from initial concept and selection to visual representation and practical application. Following a brief introduction, the first five sections offer historical context and detailed guidance on selection, application, representation, communication, and sources, while the sixth and final section features case studies by international interior designers. The book includes useful step-by-step sequences, information on properties and sustainability, and a list of resources, online archives and sample libraries. It is an invaluable practical and inspirational guide for interior design students.

Author Christopher Beorkrem shows how material performance drives the digital fabrication process and determines technique. He has recreated and dissected thirty-six of the most progressive works of architecture of the last few years, with perspectives from the designers so that you can learn from the successes and failures of each project. Including step-by-step diagrams and using consistent language and the simplest construction techniques, he identifies the important characteristics of each material, including connection types, relative costs, deformation, color, texture, finish, dimensional properties, durability, and weathering and waterproofing to link the design outcomes to form. The book is divided into five parts by material - wood, metal, concrete, hybrids, and recycled - to help you reference construction techniques for the fabrication machines you have on-hand.

Concrete presents a visual exploration of the aesthetics of concrete architecture through 180 structures from ancient Rome to the present day Concrete takes a fresh look at the world''s most versatile and abundant building material. Collating fascinating and beautiful concrete buildings by some of the most celebrated architects of the last century, it features familiar projects from Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright alongside work from some of the leading lights of contemporary architecture including Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, and many lesser-known newcomers. Arranged to promote comparison and discussion, the selected projects take the reader on a global tour of inspiring and intriguing structures: a German skatepark sits beside an Italian rooftop test track, a Japanese crematorium alongside a Portuguese swimming pool and a Brazilian government building next to a Chinese opera house.

Building with wood as an ecologically viable material is a tradition with a long history. The timber architecture, which has ensued over the past centuries, reveals to the modern observer the depth of knowledge which has enabled both Eastern und Western cultures to use this wonderful material in such a creative way. In the most typical method of building with wood, elements are connected by using wood joints which do not require the assistance of adhesives or metal connectors. This art of wood jointing reached its zenith in Japan; but Europe too provided its share of highly influential forms. By looking at several hundred examples from Japan and 18 European countries, with a new chapter on China added to this enlarged edition, this book de-scribes in great detail the history of timber architecture in terms of its technical, aesthetic and ecological dimensions.

In "Unfolded Paper in Design, Art, Architecture and Industry" paper conquers the third dimension and demonstrates the undreamed-of possibilities it holds today for lightweight construction, product design, fashion and art. From "Paper", the collection of bags by Stefan Diez, to Konstantin Grcics paper models and the scented paper garments of Issey Miyake, this book presents paper as a high-quality contemporary and ecological material. An enormous selection of projects, the lavish design and numerous illustrations provide designers with invaluable inspiration for their work. The content core of the book is a comprehensive list of state-of-the-art paper products and innovative paper technologies, supporting designers in their everyday work with detailed information on the "high-tech" material paper.

The book discusses the vast range of materials that are available to us today, and highlights the advances predicted to prove seminal in the future. The six chapters are divided by chemical composition - Metals, Glasses, Ceramics, Polymers, Composites and material Futures - and with every material featured, the book stresses the relevance of physical material properties. Each material featured is presented with relevant manufacturer information, material properties and current and potential applications and includes the websites of manufacturers and research institutes, making this a handy reference book for the designer. Material examples include the newly developed metallic ''microlattice'', now the lightest solid known on earth; Dow Corning''s ''Deflexion'', a fabric capable of instantly hardening and Graphene, a material which, at 200 times the strength of structural steel despite being only one atom thick, has the potential to revolutionise the field of electronics.