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The firm Corian's six new colors were influenced by the Japanese aesthetic of "wabi-sabi" based on the concept that there is beauty in nature's imperfections. Understated tones and textures and a random scattering of particles gives the colors, featuring organic names such as Green Tea, White Jasmine, and Rice Paper, a slight patina and weathered look.

This article reviews several building materials and architectural products. DuPont Corian remains a vital supplier to the architectural and design community. The latest patent-pending technology developed for the material is Dye Sublimation in Corian, manufactured exclusively by R.D. Wing Co. of Kirkland, Washington. For the atrium of the 300,000-square-foot Kendall Square Biotech Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a Cambridge Architectural Security & Safety mesh system was specified to provide fall protection using panels of metal fabric within railings. iLevel Trus Joist Commercial, formerly Trus Joist, has introduced a new family of commercial framing products to the market. The TimberStrand LSL beam allows for the drilling of multiple holes and has capacity for larger holes up to 45/8″. Parallam PSL beams and columns reach up to 60′ long.

The article informs that splendor of the Pantheon in Rome, attributed to Emperor Publius Aelius Hadrianus Hadrian, lies in both its architectural form and its engineering virtuosity: a rational domed cylinder of reinforced concrete that soars to a height that equals its diameter, reaching 143 feet at its oculus. Thanks to Joseph Aspdin's invention of portland cement in 1824 and Joseph Monier's introduction of the reinforcing bar in 1867, the 20th century was an era of intense technological progress in both concrete and steel. Trial-and-error engineering no longer takes place on-site or requires knowledge of precedent. So extensive is the innovation in concrete that now a discussion of the material requires a new vocabulary of modifiers. INSET: Liquid Stone: New Architecture in Concrete.

When it comes to new materials, the construction industry is not known for favoring innovation. Yet change is inevitable, and nontraditional components do emerge in architecture. Practical applications in architecture may speed up when broader policies and funding encourage the material research. This seems to be the case with the exploration of biobased composite structures at the University of Delaware, where material scientists supported by various government grants are trying to develop affordable building components that reduce dependency on fossil fuels and increase our use of renewable and recyclable resources.

Interviews architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien on materials and architecture, Importance of materials; Material fabrication; Use of Tombasil; Relation of time and site to materials.