CURATED LISTS

Curated Lists include a selection of products from the Materials Lab library, assembled around diverse material themes. 

INHABITABLE SKINS | CURATED BY ASSISTANT PROFESSOR RIA BRAVO 
Inhabitable Skins: Architectural Enclosures Reimagined offers a speculative exploration of various outdoor membranes with the potential to redefine architectural enclosure. The term ‘skins’ invokes a metaphorical bridge between architectural structures and the human body, encouraging a redefinition of architecture as dynamic, adaptable entities deeply intertwined with their occupants and surroundings. Included are cross-industry membranes selected for their high-performance attributes, water-resistant qualities, and commitment to sustainability.

 

BUILDING REUSE, REUSE IN BUILDING
This collection highlights strategies for integrating circular products. Included are material products that have been reclaimed from existing buildings, products that have been recycled from pre- and post-consumer building and industrial waste, and products that can be used for retrofitting existing buildings to meet progressive building standards.

 

GRASSES
This list includes a wide range of material products derived from the Graminae family of flowering plants. Of more than 12,000 known species, common examples of grasses grown in high volumes around the world include bamboo, corn, rice, sorghum, and wheat. Although grasses for human use are most prevalent in the food supply chain, providing just over half of global dietary energy, they are also viable resources for products in many other industries, including buildings and infrastructure. Grasses are also considered rapidly renewable crops, meaning they grow in a cycle of less than 10 years, an important factor for the environmental-friendliness of grass-based products.

 

MATERIALS IN TEXAS
Materials in Texas is a survey of regional building materials and resources. Utilizing local materials helps to minimize the embodied carbon of new construction and renovation; material transportation alone accounts for 16.5% of the embodied carbon in the built environment. Furthermore, the use of regionally sourced, assembled, or otherwise manufactured materials contributes to the healthy development of local economies, creates opportunities to honor and sustain local building ecologies, advocates for the community interest necessary to maintain sustainable building life-cycles, and delivers meaningful connections to site geography.

 

WOVEN
Woven showcases the versatility of materials assembled through the practice of weaving. Included in this list are over sixty products, representing a wide array of woven materials suitable for diverse applications. Woven materials are formed by the joining of two distinct sets of threads interlaced at right angles: a set of vertical yarns, the warp; and a set of horizontal threads, the weft. Endless variation and complexity can be introduced from this simple starting point, producing results that vary in density, permeability, and structure.

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    Here’s a net positive: durable tiles made of recycled fishing nets and ropes. Maritime gear makes up at least 10% of plastic waste found in oceans, added at a whopping rate of 1.5 tons per minute.
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    Here’s a net positive: durable tiles made of recycled fishing nets and ropes. Maritime gear makes up at least 10% of plastic waste found in oceans, added at a whopping rate of 1.5 tons per minute.

  • Instagram Post
    How do you transform glass into the “gold-standard” of insulation boards? Fill it with bubbles. Cellular glass (like regular float glass) is made from sand, limestone and soda ash. These simple ingredients are melted, cooled and crushed into powder with just a bit of carbon black.
    @materials_lab

    How do you transform glass into the “gold-standard” of insulation boards? Fill it with bubbles. Cellular glass (like regular float glass) is made from sand, limestone and soda ash. These simple ingredients are melted, cooled and crushed into powder with just a bit of carbon black.

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    Join us next Monday, 2/19, for a lunchtime talk with Dr. Sara Codarin, a roboticist and educator whose research spans large-scale additive manufacturing, robotic fabrication, digital craft, storytelling, and generative AI for world-building.<br>
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    Join us next Monday, 2/19, for a lunchtime talk with Dr. Sara Codarin, a roboticist and educator whose research spans large-scale additive manufacturing, robotic fabrication, digital craft, storytelling, and generative AI for world-building.

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    What’s a circular product suitable for interior acoustics? One “sound” option is a rigid polyester panel made from recycled bottles.
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    What’s a circular product suitable for interior acoustics? One “sound” option is a rigid polyester panel made from recycled bottles.

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    What’s one of the easiest ways to improve energy efficiency in buildings? Add insulation! Introducing: wood fiber insulation from TimberHP. Available as loose fill, batts, or rigid board, wood insulation provides a renewable, carbon-storing alternative to products made from petrochemicals.
    @materials_lab

    What’s one of the easiest ways to improve energy efficiency in buildings? Add insulation! Introducing: wood fiber insulation from TimberHP. Available as loose fill, batts, or rigid board, wood insulation provides a renewable, carbon-storing alternative to products made from petrochemicals.

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    We’ve covered mycelium leather here before, but now we have samples you can view in person. Developed by Ecovative’s Forager™ division, this animal-free, plastic-free material is a convincing alternative to traditional leather. Swing by to view two versions of finished AirLoom™ Hides.<br>
    @materials_lab

    We’ve covered mycelium leather here before, but now we have samples you can view in person. Developed by Ecovative’s Forager™ division, this animal-free, plastic-free material is a convincing alternative to traditional leather. Swing by to view two versions of finished AirLoom™ Hides.

  • Instagram Post
    Flexible polyurethane foam (FPF) is a material we use daily. It forms our furniture and car seating, mattresses and pillows, sports equipment and shoes. FPF is often produced in large slabs, or “buns,” that rise and set as oil-based chemicals react,&nbsp;foam, and cure.
    @materials_lab

    Flexible polyurethane foam (FPF) is a material we use daily. It forms our furniture and car seating, mattresses and pillows, sports equipment and shoes. FPF is often produced in large slabs, or “buns,” that rise and set as oil-based chemicals react, foam, and cure.

  • Instagram Post
    Welcome back to a new semester at the Materials Lab! We invite you to explore our vast collection of building materials, books, 1:1 assemblies, and surplus samples (free to use as you like, in studio or at home). We are open from 9:00 to 5:00, M-F, in WMB 3.100. <br>
    @materials_lab

    Welcome back to a new semester at the Materials Lab! We invite you to explore our vast collection of building materials, books, 1:1 assemblies, and surplus samples (free to use as you like, in studio or at home). We are open from 9:00 to 5:00, M-F, in WMB 3.100.

  • Instagram Post
    As we wrap things up for winter break, we want to take a moment to thank you for a great semester. Whether you were deep in research, sketching new ideas, or finding inspiration within our shelves or feed, it’s been a pleasure.
    @materials_lab

    As we wrap things up for winter break, we want to take a moment to thank you for a great semester. Whether you were deep in research, sketching new ideas, or finding inspiration within our shelves or feed, it’s been a pleasure.