Materia: a website all about materials

There are lots of websites on Materials. Materia is one of the best I've found so far.

On the main page of the website there are featured materials and news. This website finds new an unusual products. It's a great resource for finding products you've never heard about.

Also, there is an online database of materials, called the “Material Explorer” which can be accessed for free after registering. There are several methods for finding a product, including selection based on material, sensorial information, technical information, and the country of origin.

Selecting based on material includes options to search by material types such as wood, stone, glass, metals, plastics, ceramics, and concretes.

The sensorial selections include more unusual ways of classifying materials. Other than taste, all of the five senses are covered. The categories include glossiness, translucence, structure, texture, hardness, temperature, acoustics, and odor.

The technical ratings are relevant for selecting based on performance, allowing you to filter the search by fire resistance, UV resistance, weather resistance, scratch resistance, weight, chemical resistance, and renewability.

These unique filters (particularly the sensorial and technical) allow the designer to search for a material without having to have a specific product in mind. This could provide surprising and interesting results that may inspire the designer to use a unique material that could inform the rest of their design.

Fresh Water from in air

Check out this interesting product from Element Four. Their website suggests that they take the water out of the air - perfect for humid places!

Greener Block for concrete walls

Integrity block is billed as a greener alternative to traditional concrete masonry units (CMU). Made out of a proprietary soil composite, it's brownish tint gives it a clay brick look, but the specs show a CMU strength.

Green Curtain walls

Can Highly Glazed Building Façades Be Green? This is an interesting discussion of glass curtain walls and designing for energy efficiency. Do note that this is the opinion of the author who is a consultant from Building Science Consulting.

Construction Fair Event Oct 1 & 2

Seattle's seventh annual Buildex Seattle Tradeshow & Conference is supported or sponsored by numerous property and facility management and building operations associations in Washington. Exhibiting suppliers and manufacturers are competing to catch the attention of attending property managers, facility managers, building owners, building operations personnel, developers, designers, contractors and more.

Construction for Change

Recent graduates of the Department of Construction Management have started a non-for-profit to improve infrastructure around the world.

Construction for Change

Our Mission ~ CfC is a not-for-profit organization based in Seattle, Washington USA. Our mission is to partner with organizations worldwide to provide needed infrastructure for economic, medical, and educational growth in developing communities; giving them the tools to eradicate poverty and improve quality of life for those in need.

They are currently working on a school campus in Zambia.

Construct Seattle Trade Expo

Looking for inspiration and product ideas. Check out the Construct Seattle trade expo.