The idea that building materials have a particular 'nature' and that design reveals, complements, or contradicts that nature has long dominated architectural discourse. Often addressed in this context are traditional materials, which are found in nature but applied to buildings through means of craft and skillful workmanship. Dwelling on the dialogue between resistant matter and the forces applied to it, many novel architectural examples show that material nature is not a singular quality but can be expressed across various norms. For modern materials that are increasingly industrially produced, however, can the same viewpoint be valid? Following the industrial revolution, discussions regarding the nature of new materials have been wide ranging, yet their applications are aligned with the fabrication and mass production systems. Beyond their use as a predetermined and prescribed end product, is there still a role for conceiving of the nature of modern materials? In this article, we will elaborate on this topic through examining aluminium; an industrially produced material that is conceptually malleable. In less than one hundred years, aluminium rapidly transubstantiated its identity from a rare metal to, by the mid-twentieth century, the most common metal of everyday life -cans, cosmetics, and building materials. Celebrated as the dream material of modernity, we wonder does aluminium have a nature and how might it be revealed in architectural design?
展开▼
