819 Brick and stone Stone is found or excavated from the ground and brick is moulded from the earth.These materials have weight and solidity that belongs to a place.This chapter looks at the use of stone and brick in architecture and explores their natural colour,texture and surface. Concrete Concrete has the potential to be moulded and shaped to create dynamic form and,with reinforcement,can span enormous distances and achieve great heights.This chapter explores the view that concrete is the flexible material of the twenty-first century. Timber This chapter explores the many architectural possibilities that timber offers.There are many ways to apply timber because it is easily worked,its aesthetic variable depending on the nature of the wood's grain. Glass and steel Individually these materials are used in a range of different design contexts.In architecture,they allow a space to be light and a structure to be elegant.This chapter highlights the ways in which steel and glass have the potential to create an architecture that is both beautiful and subtly engineered. Composite materials These materials can be created and manufactured from a series of processes.The origin of a composite material may be natural but it can be further modified or engineered to create a material that has new possibilities,both structurally and in terms of its application. Innovation,sustainability and the future Manufacturing and technological advances present new possibilities for materials in architecture.This chapter looks at how these ideas suggest an exciting future for architecture.8 | 9 prelims (1-11)_.qxd 10/4/08 1:43 PM Page 9 Introduction Brick and stone Stone is found or excavated from the ground and brick is moulded from the earth. These materials have weight and solidity that belongs to a place. This chapter looks at the use of stone and brick in architecture and explores their natural colour, texture and surface. Concrete Concrete has the potential to be moulded and shaped to create dynamic form and, with reinforcement, can span enormous distances and achieve great heights. This chapter explores the view that concrete is the flexible material of the twenty-first century. Timber This chapter explores the many architectural possibilities that timber offers. There are many ways to apply timber because it is easily worked, its aesthetic variable depending on the nature of the wood’s grain. Glass and steel Individually these materials are used in a range of different design contexts. In architecture, they allow a space to be light and a structure to be elegant. This chapter highlights the ways in which steel and glass have the potential to create an architecture that is both beautiful and subtly engineered. Composite materials These materials can be created and manufactured from a series of processes. The origin of a composite material may be natural but it can be further modified or engineered to create a material that has new possibilities, both structurally and in terms of its application. Innovation, sustainability and the future Manufacturing and technological advances present new possibilities for materials in architecture. This chapter looks at how these ideas suggest an exciting future for architecture. TEXT BLACK (AVA): Basics Architecture C + M CD1008-10 / 3173 ~ 1st Proof prelims (1-11)_.qxd 3/11/09 5:44 PM Page 9