“Incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial,” Hamilton Burger used to say, on the old Perry Mason show. “Immaterial,” here, meant “of no substantial consequence.” Stuff becomes material when it is of substantial consequence, when it is brought to bear, put to use. Materials can become material, but so can other things—ideas, methods, strategies.
Accordingly, the title of this issue of arcCA, “New Material,” encompasses many things. New materials, of course, but also new ways of thinking about materials, old or new, and new ideas, as represented in the 2002 AIACC Design Awards.
Because the Design Awards—as well as “Under the Radar”—are so intensely focused on buildings, three of our other articles step away from architecture, to seek insight from the discipline of product design. A fourth article steps back from the eager application of green building guidelines, to question the comprehensiveness of those guidelines as they are currently being applied in the U.S. And, for the Coda, we present a “Green Map” that will help residents of the Ballona Creek Watershed find, among other salutary things, a place to dispose properly of old materials.
Like every issue of arcCA, this one bites off more than it can chew. For those who want to explore architecture’s materiality more critically, the bibliography that follows may be of some help. I don’t usually recommend my own articles (especially in such company), but one turns out to be material—er, relevant—here, so I’ve included it.
You should also check out the research work of Kieran Timberlake Associates LLP, of Philadelphia, the first recipients of the Latrobe Fellowship from the College of Fellows of the AIA. The fellowship sponsors a research initiative, in which they are evaluating, “for potential transfer to the building realm, a wide range of technologies (including both process innovations and cutting-edge material applications) used beneficially in other industries including automotive manufacturing, aerospace and shipbuilding.”
For a proprietary material information database, Kara Johnson, author of “From the Science of Materials to Design,” suggests you check out the Cambridge Engineering Selector at www.grantadesign.com.
In the Bay Area, a timely show is running at CCAC’s Wattis Institute through 10 January 2003. Curated by Adi Shamir and Marina McDougall, “In the Making” is an exhibition of artists and designers who experiment with tools and materials, conducting their studios like research laboratories.
Finally, I should mention that my whining, two issues back, about being unable to find someone to write a profile of citizen architect Michael Stepner, FAIA, has paid off. His profile appears in this issue, better late than never.
Originally published 4th quarter 2002, in arcCA 02.4, “New Material.”
