Since the 2006 publication of his best-selling first volume of Transmaterial, author Blaine Brownell has become the undisputed master of new materials, inspiring architects and designers looking to transform the structure, spaces, and surfaces of their projects with the latest high-tech and environmentally friendly products. The third volume in the critically acclaimed series presents over two hundred emergent materials, products, and systems that have significant potential to transform the constructed world. Transmaterial 3 provides a broad synopsis of the state of technological advances in materials today with a special emphasis on new developments in the field of biopolymers and various agriculturally derived products; biomimetic products, systems, and processes that seek toemulate natural examples including low-embodied-energy and biochemically manufactured products; "grown" materials;nanoscale marvels; renewable energy technologies; "second-life" materials derived from repurposed waste; and responsive, interactive, and transformational digital interfaces that harness pervasive communication networks and are powered by low-energy illumination sources. An excellent ideas generator, Transmaterial 3 is an indispensable tool for any architect or designer looking to keep up with the current trends in the field of materials.

Author Biography

Blaine Brownell is an architect, sustainable building advisor, and material researcher. He is the founder and director of the design/research firm Transstudio, and has taught at the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota. He was selected for a 2006 "40 Under 40" award by Building Design & Construction magazine, and was the recipient of a Fulbright fellowship to Japan for 2006-2007, during which time he researched contemporary Japanese material innovations at the Tokyo University of Science.