In 2017, Building Design + Construction selected 11 “transmaterials” to show how building products might become more responsive, recyclable, programmable, or resource-efficient. The examples range from humidity-driven façade scales and solar-thermal wood slats to cellulose composites, robotic stone printing, electronic-ink surfaces, and a light-emitting plant. They are best understood as a historical snapshot of design research and early commercial products—not as a current specification list.
The source article, published March 13, 2017, excerpts Blaine Brownell’s book Transmaterial Next: A Catalog of Materials That Redefine Our Future. The book evaluates the commercial viability, environmental aspects, content, applications, and limitations of 117 innovative materials. Product status, certifications, pricing, availability, and technical performance may have changed since publication, so any project use requires current manufacturer documentation and project-specific review.
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What “transmaterials” means in this 2017 survey
“Transmaterial” is used here for a material or product that crosses conventional boundaries: a façade that changes its openings without motors, a plant engineered to emit light, a film that turns a wall into a display, or a recycled-fiber substance that behaves more like a solid wood product. The point is not that every example was ready for routine construction. Instead, the collection shows different ways designers were testing material behavior as part of a building’s performance.
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The 11 examples at a glance
| Example | Primary family | How it responds or is made | Typical scale described |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flectofin | Adaptive envelope | Elastic glass-fiber and thermoset-resin movement | Shading and façade components |
| Zeoform | Reclaimed cellulose composite | Cellulose bonded with water | Panels and formed components |
| HygroSkin | Climate-responsive façade | Wood veneer opens and closes with humidity | Research installation |
| D-Shape | Robotic fabrication | Sand and inorganic binder deposited as artificial stone | Full-size structures |
| BlingCrete | Reflective concrete | Glass microspheres embedded in textile-reinforced precast concrete | Cladding and urban elements |
| Foamglas | Cellular-glass insulation | Rigid glass cells provide insulation and load capacity | Envelope and thermal weak spots |
| Common Desk | Workplace furniture | Movable dividers, LED edge light, and shared service trough | Collaborative workstations |
| Starlight Avatar | Bioengineered product | Genetically engineered ornamental plant emits light | Consumer-scale plant |
| E Ink Prism | Electronic display surface | Bistable color-changing film | Tiled walls, signs, and displays |
| NewspaperWood | Paper-derived solid material | Layered newspaper bonded and cut across the grain | Interiors, furniture, and objects |
| Solar Activated Façade | Solar-thermal envelope | Slanted wood slats with a back-vented glass wall | Building façade |
How each transmaterial worked
Flectofin: a hinge-free shading mechanism
Flectofin uses glass fibers and thermoset resin in a flapping apparatus inspired by the pollination mechanism of Strelitzia reginae. Rather than relying on a conventional hinge with delicate mechanical parts, the element bends elastically. The 2017 description proposed it for adaptive shading and responsive building envelopes, where a controlled deflection could alter how much sun reaches the interior.
For a real façade, the engineering questions are more demanding than the biomimetic concept: allowable movement, fatigue, wind loads, attachment details, fire performance, and replacement procedures would all need documented answers. The article presents the mechanism as an innovative direction, not as a code-approved façade specification.
Zeoform: cellulose formed with water
Zeoform was described as a material made from reclaimed or recycled cellulose sources and water. In the article’s 2017 account, it was commercially ready, positioning it closer to a usable product than the purely experimental entries. The same account identified two important limits: it could not yet be 3D printed, and precision components were not achievable at industrial scale.
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HygroSkin: humidity-operated apertures
HygroSkin uses thin plywood-veneer scales that respond to humidity. As moisture conditions change, the scales adjust their apertures, influencing direct light, outward views, and natural ventilation without motors or a conventional control system. The article identifies a research installation by Achim Menges Architect BDA containing 28 geometries and 1,100 aperture scales.
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This is a project-scale demonstration of how anisotropic wood movement can become useful rather than merely a source of dimensional instability. Applying the idea to a building would require predictable response ranges, weathering protection, cleaning access, insect and decay resistance, and a strategy for conditions outside the humidity range used in the installation.
D-Shape: robotic printing with sand and binder
D-Shape was presented as a robotic system that deposits sand and an inorganic binder to print artificial-stone structures. The intended ambition was full-size sandstone construction rather than small decorative objects. A process that places material only where a digital model requires it could support complex geometries and reduce the need for conventional molds.
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BlingCrete: concrete that sends light back toward its source
BlingCrete combines textile-reinforced precast concrete with an outer layer of glass microspheres. The microspheres return light toward its apparent source, creating a reflective effect that can make a surface more visible at night when illuminated. The 2017 article listed cladding, pavement, urban furniture, signage, and integrated guidance systems as applications.
For construction use, the optical effect is only one specification issue. A project team would also need slip resistance, abrasion behavior, impact resistance, color and reflectance consistency, joint detailing, cleaning requirements, and accessibility review. The source describes possible applications; it does not supply a current product data sheet for any particular project.
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Foamglas: cellular glass at thermal weak spots
Foamglas is cellular-glass insulation intended for building-envelope applications where insulation also has to tolerate compressive loads. The article specifically cited Perinsul HL and reported a compressive strength of 400 psi and thermal resistance of R-2.5 per inch. Those figures are article-era specifications, not a substitute for current manufacturer literature.
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The material’s significance is its ability to address interfaces where a soft insulation layer would be vulnerable—for example, load-bearing or perimeter conditions that create thermal bridges. Current design work should confirm the exact product designation, test standard, temperature and moisture conditions, allowable loads, edge details, compatibility with membranes, and regional code listings.
Common Desk: a shared workstation as infrastructure
Common Desk treats a desk as a coordinated service and collaboration system. Its work surface includes slots for movable acrylic dividers and bookends, LED edge lighting, and a central trough for cables and power. The arrangement lets users reconfigure privacy and organization without replacing the whole workstation.
The article warns that high-visibility work may still need additional illumination in a dark room. That practical limitation illustrates why a material or furniture innovation cannot be judged by its feature list alone. A specification should check task-light levels, glare, electrical access, cleanability, acoustic needs, accessibility, fire ratings, and the durability of the moving accessories.
Starlight Avatar: a light-emitting ornamental plant
Starlight Avatar was described as a genetically engineered ornamental plant designed to emit light. The article said it was sold only in the United States at that time. That territory statement dates to 2017; it is not evidence of present-day availability or regulatory status.
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For an architectural or interior application, the relevant questions would include containment, lighting intensity, duration, care requirements, genetic and environmental regulation, disposal, and whether the product is legally importable or saleable in the project’s jurisdiction. It is better viewed as a biological design provocation than as a dependable building-lighting system.
E Ink Prism: a bistable color surface
E Ink Prism was presented as a bistable electronic-ink film for tiled surfaces that change color. The article described a limitation to two colors in graduated hues and suggested interactive walls, signage, and displays. “Bistable” indicates that the surface can retain a displayed state without continuous power, although changing the pattern still requires a control and power system.
Before specifying a display surface, confirm the current color gamut, switching speed, viewing angle, substrate and tile sizes, control protocol, power draw during transitions, operating temperature, fire classification, and repair method. The two-color description should be retained as a 2017 limitation unless current technical documentation says otherwise.
NewspaperWood: bonded paper with a wood-like grain
NewspaperWood is made by bonding layers of newspaper and cutting across them so the exposed edges resemble a wood grain. The article said the resulting material could be milled, cut, and sanded like wood, with uses in furnishings, interior finishes, and decorative objects.
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Solar Activated Façade: seasonal solar control
The Solar Activated Façade combines slanted solid-wood slats with a back-vented glass curtain wall. In the article’s description, the geometry captures solar heat in winter and provides self-shading in summer. It had previously been called Lucido and was described as introduced to the U.S. market by Nelson Solar GmbH; both the name change and market statement are historical.
A façade based on this principle must be modeled for the project’s latitude, orientation, glazing ratio, shading period, ventilation path, and control of overheating. Structural attachment, wood weathering, fire separation, bird and insect protection, maintenance access, and replacement of damaged slats are as important as the seasonal concept.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the 2017 list can—and cannot—tell a project team
The collection demonstrates several distinct response strategies:
- Passive physical response: Flectofin’s elastic movement and HygroSkin’s humidity-driven scales react through material behavior rather than software.
- Solar and thermal response: the Solar Activated Façade uses geometry and ventilation to manage seasonal solar energy, while Foamglas addresses conductive weak points.
- Electronic response: E Ink Prism changes a surface state under digital control while retaining an image between updates.
- Bio-based or reclaimed feedstocks: Zeoform and NewspaperWood turn cellulose waste streams into formed or machinable products.
- New fabrication routes: D-Shape explores robotic deposition of mineral material at architectural scale.
- Integrated human-use systems: Common Desk combines furniture, lighting, privacy, and power distribution.
- Biological products: Starlight Avatar applies genetic engineering to an ornamental plant rather than to a conventional building component.
These categories are not interchangeable. A façade assembly needs structural, fire, weather, and maintenance evidence; a furniture system needs ergonomic, electrical, and durability information; a genetically engineered plant raises regulatory and care questions that do not apply to a concrete panel.
A practical verification process before specifying any example
- Identify the exact product or project. Record the manufacturer, model, version, substrate, dimensions, and intended application. A concept name alone is not enough.
- Check present availability. Confirm that the material is still manufactured, sold in the project region, and available in the required quantity and lead time. Do not rely on the 2017 statements about commercial readiness or U.S. sales.
- Request current technical documents. Obtain product data, safety data, installation instructions, test reports, environmental declarations where available, warranties, and maintenance requirements.
- Map code and certification obligations. Ask the architect, engineer, code consultant, and authority having jurisdiction how the product will be classified, tested, permitted, and inspected.
- Evaluate the full assembly. Review attachment, joints, backing, membranes, controls, power, drainage, ventilation, fire stopping, tolerances, and replacement access—not just the novel material.
- Prototype the failure modes. Test moisture, ultraviolet exposure, temperature swings, abrasion, impact, dirt, biological growth, power loss, control failure, and user misuse that are relevant to the application.
- Document lifecycle responsibilities. Assign who will clean, recalibrate, repair, replace, recycle, or safely dispose of the component and what happens when the original supplier is no longer available.
Why this historical snapshot still matters
The list is useful because it broadens the definition of a building product. Performance can be embedded in geometry, fiber orientation, a reflective surface, a digital film, a biological process, or a fabrication method. It also shows why “innovative” is not the same as “ready to specify.” The article’s examples mix prototypes, research installations, commercial materials, workplace furniture, and consumer products.
For contemporary practice, the most responsible use of the list is as a source of design questions: Can a façade respond without motors? Can a waste stream become a finish? Can a thermal bridge carry load? Can a digital display become part of the wall? Each question should then be tested against current data, regulation, procurement, maintenance, and whole-life performance.
Further reading
Transmaterial Next: A Catalog of Materials That Redefine Our Future is the book behind the 2017 excerpts and expands the survey to 117 materials. Treat any marketplace listing, product status, or technical claim as something to verify at the time of purchase or specification.
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