Research guides: ARC 2017: Research Methods: Materials

Material Resources

Material Order - shared database for design materials, search nearly 4,000 material samples for specifications and samples

Books on Materials

Matter by Gail Peter Borden (Editor); Michael Meredith (Editor)
Beginning with material, this book revolves around physical material making and design decisions that emerge from material interaction. Combining essays from both practice and academia, this book presents some of the most significant projects and thoughts on materiality from the last decade.
Basics Materials by Manfred Hegger; Hans Drexler; Martin Zeumer
The Materiality of buildings and constructions is an important aspect of architectural design. The approach to and use of materials is a fundamental building block of architectural training.
Materiology by Daniel Kula; Élodie Ternaux; Quentin Hirsinger (Contribution by); Élodie Ternaux
In four chapters, Materiology offers an overview of the different kinds, processing, and use of materials.
Material World 2 by Tessa Blokland (Editor)
Featuring over 150 materials, Material World 2: Innovative Materials for Architecture and Design, sequel to the highly successful Material World, is an even more comprehensive catalogue of resources, thanks to a global arsenal of information-crammed data banks available to Frame magazine.
Transmaterial 3 by Blaine Brownell (Editor)
Transmaterial 3 provides a broad synopsis of the state of technological advances in materials today with a special emphasis on new developments in the field of biopolymers and various agriculturally derived products; biomimetic products, systems, and processes that seek toemulate natural examples including low-embodied-energy and biochemically manufactured products; "grown" materials; nanoscale marvels; renewable energy technologies; "second-life" materials derived from repurposed waste; and responsive, interactive, and transformational digital interfaces that harness pervasive communication networks and are powered by low-energy illumination sources.
Plastics Now by Billie Faircloth
Drawing on original data from industry press, original timelines, hundreds of historical and contemporary images, advertisements dating to the 1940s, and technical data, this unconventional book explores the emergence of plastics as a building material and presents new findings.
Blurred Transparencies in Contemporary Glass Architecture by Aki Ishida
Blurred Transparencies in Contemporary Glass Architecture brings to light complex readings of transparent glass through close observations of six pivotal works of architecture. Written from the perspectives of a practitioner, the six essays challenge assumptions about fragility and visual transparency of glass.