Plastics: Ethereal Materials or Trash Culture

Synthetic materials have re-established themselves in the experimental field of contemporary avant-garde architecture. On one side, this is due to its exceptional malleability and formability, being almost predestined for the production of digitally designed architectural concepts; on the other side, new, additive production processes – like 3D printing, laser sintering and stereo-lithography – lead to dramatically simplified rapid production techniques within the digital manufacturing process. In addition to which, “intelligent” functional layers are now capable of acting as sensors, video screens, light or even energy sources. Due to its sensuality, many architects intentionally take advantage of plastic’s “cheap” image, when creating trash-cultural architecture.