Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

As architecture and design programs throughout the world break out of the classroom and adopt the holistic methods of design/build programs, the need for a textbook that bridges the gap between construction materials and design sensibility is sorely needed. In Materials for Design 2 , authors Victoria Ballard Bell and Patrick Rand revisit the format of their award-winning first volume and present sixty new case studies of materials put to imaginative use by today's brightest architects. Bell and Rand introduce each material type--glass, concrete, wood, metal, plastic, and stone--with new text describing its history and significance. Accessible case studies highlight recent advances in design and construction around the world--from a wooden church in Finland and huts in Thailand to a bank encased in a glass cube in Denmark. In a materials landscape that constantly changes to meet the demands of contemporary designers, Materials for Design 2 is an up-to-date guide to the best and most exciting materials at their disposal.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

This all-new international survey of contemporary materials of architectural design adds to the award-winning first volume. It is a beautiful book by two honored North Carolina design professionals: Bell in private practice in Raleigh and Rand at nearby North Carolina State University. They have partnered to focus on structural and decorative materials especially evident in exteriors. Over 50 buildings are beautifully illustrated, detailed, described, researched, and indexed. The coauthors' general write-ups are masterfully presented for everyone, but the technical manufacturing and constructional details are aimed at professionals. The first bibliographic entry is Edward Allen's Fundamentals of Building Construction. Allen taught this subject at MIT for 40 years, following his famous field trip to Italy that resulted in Stone Shelters. VERDICT Kudos to the authors and publishers for maintaining this book as a series, celebrating the materiality of architecture in a convincing way for students, teachers, practitioners, clients, and professionals. Every school offering design in its curriculum should buy this-public libraries as well. This second volume doubles the impact and the compact of the first.-Peter S. Kaufman, Boston Architectural Ctr. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

In their first collaboration, Materials for Design (2006), Bell, an architect, and Rand (North Carolina State Univ.) raised readers' level of consciousness by showcasing the merging of architects' design intentions with their material palette. For this synthesis, they used the term "materiality." Materials for Design 2 now follows with 60 new case studies, all documenting various designers' comprehensive approaches to visual solutions. This volume is effectively a survey of projects focusing on various material types as being prevalent in the final design solution. Sections highlight glass, concrete, wood, metal, plastic, and masonry, along with a description citing the history of that particular material and its overall significance. The projects selected are recent, come from around the world, and present the most up-to-date use of the specific materials chosen. Each project has multiple high-quality color representations, and many have construction details. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels. R. P. Meden Marymount University

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Victoria Ballard Bell is an architect who lives and works in Raleigh, NC.

Patrick Rand is a professor in the School of Architecture at North Carolina State University College of Design.