Material architecture

"Composed of a series of essays, this book deals with the broad issues affecting the nature of architectural materials and provides a focused review of state of the art materials. It provides designers with the tools they need to evaluate and select from the thousands of different options available to them. The book is organized into three sections; Time looks at how the materials used in architectural design have changed over the years showing how we have come to use the materials we do in contemporary design. Materials covers all five material families: metals, polymers, ceramics, composites and natural materials, giving in-depth information on their properties, behaviour, origins and uses in design. Design outlines the technical design-oriented research that uncovers how new architectural assemblies can be designed and engineered. All of this practical advice is given along with many real case examples illustrating how this knowledge and information has been, and can be, used in architectural design."--BOOK JACKET.