Ultra Materials: How Materials Innovation Is Changing the World

Author: George M. Beylerian,Andrew H. Dent,Bradley Quinn
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Category: Industrial / Commercial Art & Design, Materials Science
Book Format: Hardcover

The single most significant influence on today's manmade environment: materials innovation.
Smart substances, intelligent interfaces, and sensory surfaces are redefining the world we live in, from self-cleaning materials based on the surface morphology of a lotus leaf to outdoor pavilions made from inflatable membrane exteriors to temperature-regulated clothing.
The people at Material ConneXion are uniquely placed to explain these developments:
• the context and key tools for innovation, including biomimicry, nanotechnology, and sustainability;
• the application of new materials in interior, fashion, textiles, product, and vehicle design;
• where current developments are leading, along with the implications for educators, professionals, and society as a whole.
The book includes a classified presentation of the four hundred most recent significant materials; a directory of designers, design conferences, trade shows, and professional organizations; and details of degree programs, grants, scholarships, internships, research labs, and competitions.
Here is an indispensable resource for interior, product, graphic, and fashion designers, and for anyone involved with packaging, design, or architecture. 600+ illustrations and photographs in color and black and white.

Table Of Contents

I. Materials and Design 1. Material Matters * 2. Material Overviews 3. Material Intelligence * 4. Material Maestros * 5. The Future * II. Reference + Information Ultra Materials * Source Book

About George M. Beylerian

George M. Beylerian, dubbed `the guru of goo (and gels, mesh and resin)' by The New York Times, pioneered a creative approach to materials for many decades before founding Material ConneXion in 1997. Devoted to researching and evaluating new materials and based in New York, Material ConneXion also has offices in Milan and Cologne. Andrew H. Dent directs Material ConneXion's research into innovative materials and processes. Bradley Quinn is the author of numerous books on fashion, architecture and style.