An excellent selection of new materials was presented at the Material Xperience (an annual material event held across Europe) in London at the May Design Series. The exhibition by Materia which is based in Amsterdam is a knowledge centre for developments and innovations in materials, and their applications for architecture and design. One trend that I spotted is the merger of very different type of materials like in the pictured Ornament, which is a combination of textile and concrete by the Tactility Factory.
Another unusual mixture is felt with resin. The translucent resin allows light to go through the thick felt, making an unexpected effect to a normally solid material. Oz Wall of Light is developed by Alexandra Devaux.
Continuing the theme of unexpected effects this stone ‘veneer’ is made from real natural stone. A special technique of ultra-thin plates are sawed from blocks of stone to create the material. These plates can be glued on to lightweight honeycomb panels and glass allowing versatile use of the material.
Another trend was the variety of glow-in-the-dark applications. Waterproof and breathable coatings of this glow-it-the-dark material can be used in most woven fabric types.
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