Material Matters

Despite its centrality to the making of architecture, material - the stuff of building - gets little theoretical attention. Material Matters brings together texts and work by theorists and practitioners who are making material central to their work and reflects the diverse areas of inquiry which are invigorating and expanding current material discourse. Focussing on the cultural, political, economic, technological and intellectual forces which shape material practices in architecture, the contributors draw on disciplines ranging from philosophy, history and pedagogy to art practice and digital and low-tech fabrication. By paying critical attention to material, a wide range of issues emerge in Material Matters which are otherwise invisible or excluded from architectural discourse, issues that shape and determine the buildings we make, the processes we use and the ways we understand them. Beautifully illustrated and designed, this book is a unique collection which will be of great interest to architectural practitioners and theorists who want to consider the wider implications of material practice, and to students who are developing their own approach to making buildings.Thomas, Lloyd is the author of 'Material Matters ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780415363266 and ISBN 0415363268.