Innovative Materials and Products

Abstract

There are a great number of materials and products currently being developed that are close to market introduction or already available. Some have been developed specifically for use in the field of architecture; others were originally intended for use in product design, e.g. in textiles or automobiles, and are only offered to architects sporadically or not at all through their usual product suppliers. If architects are in the position to incorporate these materials and products directly or in modified form into their works, then a flood of new, interesting possibilities for building design and construction can ensue. Creative architects especially develop their own innovative materials and products for specific applications, or they develop new applications and the associated materials and products, which they subsequently arrange to have manufactured. Thus not infrequently the architect may be the designer, developer and manufacturer.