Viewed primarily in technical terms pertaining to construction, material has often been overlooked in the discourse on architectural design. Yet, it is material that breathes life into architecture by realizing concepts into meaningful physical forms. Whether it is wood, glass, steel, plastic, or concrete, material can be employed with unlimited flexibility and carries both visual and emotional characteristics through its expression.

The first book of its kind to focus on materiality from a design perspective, Material Precedent is masterfully presented, with an impressive collection of crisp line drawings along with historical, material, tectonic, and typological analysis of twentieth-century buildings, providing readers with detailed instruction that traces the traditions and trends of material as the defining premise in the making of architecture.