Building Materials Of The Future

What determines which innovations get incorporated into the building industry and which ones fall by the wayside? How easy is it to convince clients to use innovative materials? Some products and strategies have not yet been made available for commercial use; others have been around in some form for eons. Some firms use new materials in traditional ways; others take traditional materials and rethink their use. In a number of instances, the computer has influenced the use of materials, new and old.

From Leo Daly's response: "In general, the products keep getting better and better because people demand it. The key to spreading sustainable design is getting enough competition so that the costs come down. If the clients want to move ahead and have green architecture, we can do it. But if the client isn’t receptive to using, say, wheat board, it’s never going to happen."