TY - JOUR
T1 - From matter to x-matter
T2 - Exploring the newfound capacities of information-enhanced materials
AU - Brownell, Blaine
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2014/11/5
Y1 - 2014/11/5
N2 - The physical materials and processes used to design and construct the built environment reveal the growing application of information technology enhancements. Such materials and methods effectively represent a kind of expanded matter (x-matter), insofar as their functionality has been augmented with increased capabilities not found in their traditional, unembellished counterparts. Despite the importance of this transformation, which has been fueled by the growth of communications and computing technologies, there is a lack of scholarship concerning a holistic evaluation of this phenomenon and its future implications-particularly from the perspective of material-focused fields such as architecture and product design. This essay therefore offers a concise proposal for a comprehensive framework in which to understand the evolving relationships between matter and information, aimed towards individuals within built environment-related disciplines. Fundamental areas of material-information interaction, or capacities of x-matter, are illustrated by representative examples, in addition to considerations of historical precedents and future opportunities.
AB - The physical materials and processes used to design and construct the built environment reveal the growing application of information technology enhancements. Such materials and methods effectively represent a kind of expanded matter (x-matter), insofar as their functionality has been augmented with increased capabilities not found in their traditional, unembellished counterparts. Despite the importance of this transformation, which has been fueled by the growth of communications and computing technologies, there is a lack of scholarship concerning a holistic evaluation of this phenomenon and its future implications-particularly from the perspective of material-focused fields such as architecture and product design. This essay therefore offers a concise proposal for a comprehensive framework in which to understand the evolving relationships between matter and information, aimed towards individuals within built environment-related disciplines. Fundamental areas of material-information interaction, or capacities of x-matter, are illustrated by representative examples, in addition to considerations of historical precedents and future opportunities.
KW - Information architecture
KW - Internet of Things
KW - Radical atoms
KW - SPIME
KW - Tangible bits
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U2 - 10.1016/j.matdes.2015.03.027
DO - 10.1016/j.matdes.2015.03.027
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84952631463
SN - 0264-1275
VL - 90
SP - 1238
EP - 1247
JO - Materials and Design
JF - Materials and Design
ER -