Tetris Tiles
I don't know about you but looking at this tile makes me dizzy.
via Land+Living — Materials

Rice Concrete... mmm
Rice husks form cases around edible kernels of rice. These husks could be used as a concrete substitute, which in turn could reduce carbon dioxide emissions related to cement production.
via MSNBC — Materials

Marmol Radziner Shops
LA architecture firm Marmol Radziner founded their own fabrication shops to fulfill their high quality custom wood and metal modern designs in-house. Now they are offering these custom services to homeowners, architects, designers, and contractors.
via Archinect — Materials

Bamboo-zled: Eco Veneers Storm the Design World
"Green is the new black — and bamboo is the new titanium. After years of churning out glossy, metal-finish, high-polish products, electronics companies are taking their design cues from nature — and trying to pick up the sheen of eco-friendliness — by wrapping their products in bamboo veneers."
via Wired — Materials

EcoRock(s)!
"EcoRock uses 80% less energy in the manufacturing of its core than conventional gypsum board. No heaters or dryers are used in production, nor calcining processes – resulting in 80% less CO2. EcoRock also uses 85% post-industrial recycled content and is fully recyclable." If all of the claims hold water, then this stuff ROCKS! (sorry, had to go there...)
via Architectural Record — Materials

Some homes worth less than their pipes
Thieves now stealing valuable metals from foreclosed homes.
via MSNBC — Materials

Reben
It's alive! A 100% natural environmentally remediating paint... it actually cleanses the air. Killer.
via Transstudio — Materials

In praise of Grasscrete®
Seven reasons why permeable paving materials like Grasscrete are good.
via Pruned — Materials

Clay Paint
Paint made with clay and soy-based resin by Green Planet Paints.
via Transstudio — Materials

Solid Poetry
Netherlands-based designers Frederik Molenschot and Susanne Happle have developed a concrete tile that reveals patterns when wet.
via Transstudio — Materials

Voiceprints
Translating audio information into visual imagery.
via Transstudio — Materials

Building Houses out of Garbage, Not Concrete
Dr. Jim Forth of Leeds University has developed the Bitublock, a sustainable low energy replacement for concrete blocks.
via Treehugger — Materials

Manure: You may be walking on it soon
"Home-buyers of tomorrow could find themselves walking across floors made from manure. Researchers at Michigan State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture insist it's no cow pie in the sky dream. They say that fiber from processed and sterilized cow manure could take the place of sawdust in making fiberboard, which is used to make everything from furniture to flooring to store shelves."
via MSNBC — Materials

Fieldtrip to Materials & Applications
Cool Hunting visits Los Angeles based Materials & Applications - "innovative space for experimental architecture" (featured previously on L+L 7/14/2004 "Materials & Applications" & 12/5/2004 "Land.Tiles").
via Cool Hunting — Materials

Tasty Veneers By Architectural Systems
LEED rated exotic veneers for many applications (walls, ceilings, furntiture, etc.).
via Treehugger — Materials

Illuminated Surfaces
Scientists studying organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) have made a critical leap from single-color displays to a highly efficient and long-lived natural light source. The application could turn almost any surface in a building, whether flat or curved, into a light source.
via Transstudio — Materials

Solar Roof Panels
Who wants big and bulky solar panels on their roof? Certainly not I! Solar tiles from Solar Century seem like a wise solution to the panel problem until you consider the cost. As Gizmodo mentions, it's just a "science project" until the price comes down.
via Gizmodo — Materials

Graphic Concrete
Graphic Concrete Ltd has invented a patented process to apply surface retardant on a special membrane to create high quality, cost-effective etched graphics on cast concrete surfaces.
via Core77 — Materials

Interview: Oliver Hess of Materials & Applications
We've featured several projects from Materials & Applications, a non-profit research center in Los Angeles dedicated to pushing new and underused ideas for landscape and architecture into view. Interesting interview, check it.
via w-m-m-n-a — Materials

Chronos Chromos Concrete
"A system that is able to dynamically display patterns, numbers and text in concrete surfaces."
via Coudal — Materials

Interview: Blaine Brownell of Transmaterial
Architect Blaine Brownell, the author of Transmaterial, talks about innovative new products in the construction industry.
via Business Week — Materials

Rubbersidewalks
An interesting green solution to tree-root-damaged sidewalks, Rubbersidewalks makes a flexible paving system from 100% recycled tire rubber. Save trees, recycle tires... not bad.
via Inhabitat — Materials

CoreTough
Lighter than aluminum and stronger than steel, CoreTough is a honeycombed truss-wing-formed composite wall sandwiched between a seamless, one-piece, thick outer facing and a thinner inner facing with no rivets required.
via Transstudio — Materials

Smart Concrete
Electrically conductive "smart concrete" developed at the Composite Materials Research Laboratory can sense changes in electrical resistance as the material goes under stress.
via Future Feeder — Materials

Taperwire & FlatWire
Flat wiring! Kick ass! Flat Ethernet, component video, speaker wire and other kinds of cables.
via Boing Boing — Materials