Materia Newsletter July 2007

This is the Materia News Letter for July 2007, packed full of new materials, events and information. For your material inspiration, read on!

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The Material Explorer has been updated with 20 new materials. You can see them here. Below the selection of the latest additions:


Colini		CeasarStone		ACT		LaceFence		Mikado tile


Amazakoue		Lumaglass		Forex smart		Wallpaper tile		BeeBoard


Digital print		Padded wall tile		Carpet tile		Relief panel		River


Nova Structure		Fibre C		Wirecloth		SteenFineer		Mappy foam

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Materials must not been selected purely because they are environmentally friendly. They have to do what they need to do. Being strong, beautiful, unique, slim, cosy, durable, translucent, glossy, colourful, breathable, regulate temperature AND; respect nature. So; be renewable or in the worst case recyclable.

Textile made of stinging nettle, boiled MDF, panels made from cell phones, clocks made of paper waste, panels made from recycled tapestry or even made of recycled chewing gum!

Nature itself gives spectacular examples. Materials which are able to use the UV radiation for several purposes, plants with smart constructions, penguins with an intelligent insulation program; using air, water, sun, oxide ; how can we learn from nature when we use materials in our construction and design? Let the material do the work! At two places we will show the latest developments;

Materia Exposition: Materia has been invited by the Dutch Consulate in Canada, the organisation of the IIDEX and the organisation of the Design Exchange to organise an Materia exposition at both the IIDEX and the Design Exchange about sustainable materials from September 27 to November 4, 2007

Materia has been invited by the organisation of the BIS fair in Gent, Belgium from 6 to 14 October to organise especially for this fair an exposition about innovative environmently friendly materials. Materials that can store energy, or have excellent insulation properties, or are made of natural organic fibers and other renewable materials, even made of recycled chewing gum! How can we use natural sources with respect for nature.

Our corporate site www.materia.nl and the materials search engine www.materialexplorer.com will be incorporated in the knowledgebase www.materia.nl soon. With this new knowledgebase, Materia is able to give you access to a worldwide platform in the field of material information.

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Lumaglass™ makes use of Electroluminescent (EL) light in a film form which is fixed onto the inside of the profiled glass panels. This EL Lamp works by using an alternating current that excites phosphor crystals, which in turn emit light. Lumaglass™ is an environmental friendly light that requires low energy consumption and little to no maintenance. LumaglassTM has been launched by Westcrowns Contracting Services group. This light will never burn out completely!

Lumaglass™ Illumination in architectural glass

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Can we make this sandsculpture solid as a rock? Perhaps with the technology below!!

In the newsletter of Januari 2007 we mentioned “Seament”, a sort of concrete made of magnesium in the ocean using electroaccretion. It is also possible to use bacteria to create construction material; BioGrouting is the in-situ stimulation of a cementation process, where sand is converted into a sandstone-like material using calcium carbonate crystals. A natural biological process is used for this diagenesis. It is based on a reaction where naturally-occurring bacteria ensure that small chalk crystals are deposited on the surface of sand grains, due to the conversion of urea in the presence of calcium. The resultant transformation from a loose-grained to a cemented material leads to a marked increase in the strength and stiffness of the material. At normal pressure and temperature, and under the correct process conditions, the process takes place in a matter of days.

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Since Materia is busy with a lot of exiting developments, we are looking for an inspired material expert with a high interest in architecture and design. Are you interested? See for the profile Materia Jobs.

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The many requests for our latest book ‘Material Skills, evolution of materials’ have led us to open our own WebShop of Materia, where you can order online and pay by credit card. If you have not yet ordered your own copy of "Material Skills, evolution of materials", go to our WebShop and order now!

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As you know, Materia is constantly on the lookout for materials with special sensorial or technical properties, or used in a special way. If you have any suggestions or tips for new materials or new applications of materials, please don't hesitate to contact us at info@materia.nl.