Material World 3: Innovative Materials for Architecture and Design by Elodie Ternaux is an encyclopaedic volume about over one hundred technically advanced materials selected by matériO, the French library of emerging materials. The items covered in this book, such as Deflexion, EXYD, butternut wood glass panels and Novidis, to name but a few, offer a wide variety of properties and aesthetics. Their technical details and applications are described in detail and they are shown in several photos, including a full-page close-up image. Product and supplier information is also provided so that any of these materials can be tracked down if necessary. Also included are explanations of fifteen concepts such as cradle-to-cradle, Velcro, FSC and VOC.

Hardcover, 232 pages. Frame Publishers, 2011. $37.17 at Amazon

+Material World 3 at Amazon