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A new study by researchers out of The Ohio State University investigates a different kind of design for absorbing vibrations that could better soundproof materials. Ryan Harne, senior author of the paper and former associate professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio State, along with... View full entry
A new “bioinspired” pavilion is opening in Germany thanks to some help from robotic hands. The livMatS Pavilion has been successfully installed in the botanical garden on the campus of the University of Freiburg thanks to a cross-university team of engineers, architects, and... View full entry
One thing we're looking at is this synchronization of thermal mass and buoyancy ventilation so buildings can work like termite mounds. We've developed these scaling rules where you choose your material and you define your free-running ventilation rate so you can design for that heat wave. — Pioneer Works
Architectural historian C. Kaye Rawlings and science journalist Dan Samorodnitsky chatted with Salmaan Craig about specific ways architecture can adapt to the realities of catastrophic climate change. For more watch him speak on; Biogenic Buildings at the Institute of Technology in Architecture... View full entry
Materials engineer Nzambi Matee heads a recent start-up called Gjenge Makers, which creates low-cost lightweight building materials from recycled plastic and sand. Beginning with pavers, the company has introduced a product that is stronger and more flexible than concrete, heightening its... View full entry
This post is brought to you by Material Bank Material Bank is the world’s largest material marketplace, providing the fastest and most sustainable way to search and sample materials. It simplifies the complex process of material search and sampling by enabling architecture and design... View full entry
Material Bank is a New York City-based start-up seeking to upend the building industry's relationship to building materials sampling and ordering. The company is founded by Adam I. Sandow, an entrepreneur who leads the SANDOW company, a collection of interconnected media and designer- and... View full entry
Rotterdam-based designer Sabine Marcelis creates a visually mesmerizing exhibition playing with glass and its material capabilities in No Fear of Glass. Currently exhibited at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, Sabine sought to create pieces in response to a request made to Mies during... View full entry
How can we make stronger building materials? An experiment conducted by Rice University's Brown School of Engineering explores this limit by manipulating materials like plastic, metal, and concrete to match the strength of diamonds. 3D printed blocks made at Rice University. Image... View full entry
On April 1st, the architecture community lost the acclaimed architect, curator, and friend Francois Perrin. Having been diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in January, 2019, the beloved designer, surfer, and father passed peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by friends and loved ones in his... View full entry
Researchers say India could alleviate its growing shortage of sand, which is needed for concrete, by partially replacing it with waste plastic.
Research carried out by the University of Bath in the UK, and India’s Goa Engineering College, has found that concrete made with an admixture of ground-up plastic bottles is almost as strong as traditional concrete mixtures.
— globalconstructionreview.com
With India's rapid urbanization, concrete construction has dramatically increased causing a shortage in the country's sand used to make the building material. Mixing in plastic bottles focuses on solving both the issue of a sand shortage and the accumulation plastic waste on the streets. While... View full entry
Morphosis recently announced the opening of a new flagship research and design facility for The Kolon Group, a leading manufacturing company based in South Korea. The 820,000-square-foot facility is located in Magok, an emerging tech hub in Seoul. Kolon Group facility by Morphosis, located... View full entry
Marble~ish was developed as part of the research from the 2016/17 Harry der Boghosian Fellowship at Syracuse School of Architecture. Conducted by Maya Alam in collaboration with her students “~ISH: Stages Before the Real” is an installation exploring questions concerning the in-between: site... View full entry
The dark, quasi-Victorian corridors of ODA's 31-unit apartment building on New York City's Renwick Street are a purposeful nod toward British-born James Renwick, 19th century scientist and engineer, after which the street is named. The contrast between the portrait-clad hallways and the light... View full entry
This week we are releasing a series of conversations, or "Mini-Sessions", with architects and designers in LA and Detroit, in partnership with the Los Angeles Design Festival. The festival will be taking place in Downtown LA from June 8 to 11th. Today we're sharing my conversation with Sean... View full entry
To most people, mushrooms are a food source. To mycologist (mushroom scientist) Philip Ross, fungi are much, much more. In fact, Ross is most passionate about mushrooms’ ability to be used for building materials and it is this is what he primarily focuses his attention on. Recently, the mycologists figured out how to make bricks from growing fungi that are super-strong and water-, mold- and fire resistant. — Truth Theory
Referred to as "mycotecture," the mushroom bricks originally were embraced by the art world, but increasingly are being considered for other structural uses. Stronger and cooler-looking than concrete, the above fungi-brick structure is held together using chopsticks. View full entry
