Building Materials: Ancient to Future — AIA New York

Center for Architecture galleries will close early at 5pm on 12/24 and remain closed through 1/1. Happy holidays!

Photo: Courtesy of ABC Stone.

Photo: Courtesy of ABC Stone.

Reports from the front by Fred. A. Bernstein, Katherine Fung, Jennifer Krichels, Bill Millard, and Alex Ulam

Embodied Energy: A Primer for Architects
by Fred A. Bernstein

Will This Material Change the Way We Build?
by Katherine Fung

Mass Timber Going Mainstream
by Alex Ulam

The Soft Power of ETFE
by Bill Millard

The Future of Material Specification
by Jennifer Krichels

Also in this issue

Molly Heintz, Editor-in-Chief. Photo: Nir Arieli.

Letter from the Editor

The New Building Blocks

by Molly Heintz

At ground level, 25 Kent’s two volumes are separated to create a pedestrian street between spaces for retail. At the third floor and above, a connector joins the north and south volumes, linking space for office tenants. Photo: Caroline LeFevre, courtesy of Gensler.

Open House New York Spotlight: 25 Kent

by Jennifer Krichels

Neri Oxman and The Mediated Matter Group's Totems, 2018. Architectural proposal for an environmentally responsive melanininfused structure. Created for Design Indaba. Rendering by Eric de Broche des Combes, Luxigon. The glass structure is designed to contain multiple strains of melanin, naturally obtained on-site and biologically synthesized at the lab. It provides UV protection during the day, while enabling stargazing upon sunset. A first-of-its-kind biologically augmented façade, the structure is designed to protect endangered species on-site and to celebrate the diversity of life on our planet. Photo: Neri Oxman and The Mediated Matter Group.

Living in the Material World of Neri Oxman

An upcoming show at MoMA reveals a vision for how biology and the built environment intersect.

by Fred A. Bernstein interviews curator Paola Antonelli

The Gople Lamp, a collaboration between BIG Ideas and Artemide, was primarily designed as a grow lamp to stimulate photosynthesis indoors. Photo: Courtesy of BIG.

Three faces of in-house R&D show how architecture can harness the environment.

by Julia van den Hout

The precast concrete panels of One South First’s façade. Photo: Courtesy of Gate Precast.

Material Innovation On-Site

During construction, architects are using both futuristic and low-tech methods to create better, more sustainable buildings.

by Natalie Dubois

A Sustainable Future Means Sharing Research

by Greg Bencivengo, RA, and Shefali H. Sanghvi, AIA, LEED AP BD + C

Look to Nature to Help Create a Healthy Workplace

by Amy Jarvis, AIA

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