Materials for Design is a textbook that bridges the gap between construction materials and design sensibility. Divided into five sections—glass, concrete, wood, metal and plastic—the book makes a thorough study of each material put to use by contemporary architects from around the world. The design challenge was to produce a guidebook for architectural students that reflected the cutting-edge nature of the case studies but didn’t fall into a typical textbook format. Each of the five sections opens with an explanatory text set in a light weight for easy reading, while the case studies provide a straightforward but dense mix of photographs, plans, sections and details with clear juxtapositions. We chose to “wrap” this book with its own kind of “materiality”: a combination of PVC plastic (with silkscreened type), cover images depicting glass, and color-coded book edges all interrelate and reflect the general content of the book. The inventive case studies, unique packaging and clear structure all contribute to a reference book geared toward not only students but also a professional and design-sensitive audience.

“Terrific presentation of information. A better understanding of architectural materials is accomplished through well-organized typography, drawings and photographs.”