5 Technologies for Material Lovers

If rendering software exists to convey your design to someone who can’t see inside your head, then it should do that in the most realistic of ways. Lumion’s 2024 release comes with enhanced ray-tracing capabilities that simulate how light behaves when it hits materials like glass, translucent materials like onyx, and natural elements like grass or tree leaves. The latest version includes color glass shadows, new glass material properties, and parallax interiors to help you render windows and create the illusion of a 3D interior. In a bid to remove any friction between your imagination and the final product, the system has also been enhanced to produce video renders five times faster than the previous version. Ultimately Lumion 2024 wants to blur the line between reality and rendered image, offering unparalleled photo-realistic render and real-time visual feedback on your 3D model. 
lumion.com

02 POWERFUL PRECISION WITH COLOR 

Color matching has come a long way. The Nix Spectro L is a spectrophotometer that lets you measure the color of any surface on the go. The device is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but despite its compact size, it packs all the features of a standard spectrophotometer. You can pair it with a free app, create custom libraries, scan down to 16 mm samples, and leverage data like delta-e, spectral reflectance curve, ink density, RGB, CMYK, and over 300,000 paint colors from a multitude of brands. Its size and affordable price ($479) make it an ideal companion for creative professionals in the print and packaging industries, as well as graphic artists and designers. Think of it as the real-life equivalent of the Photoshop eyedropper tool—one that happens to look cute too. 
nixsensor.com

03 COUNTERTOPS YOU CAN COOK ON 

Porcelain countertops are having a moment in the kitchen. They are durable and easy to clean, and thanks to their fabrication at over 2,000° F, porcelain surfaces can hold their own when you place a hot pan on them. Caesarstone’s Ooak Porcelain Collection lets you do exactly that, except instead of simply resting your hot pan on your countertop, you can actually cook on the countertop—any surface from the collection can be paired with an invisible induction system underneath. You can turn the burners on via a discreet control tucked away in the drawer below, guide your pan on the surface until you hear a beep, and start cooking your meal. When the guests arrive, turn that same countertop into a full spread with drinks, appetizers, and absolutely no sign of a burner. 
caesarstoneus.com

04 ROBOTS TO RECLAIM WOOD 

Timber is one of the most sustainable materials architects can build with, but in the quest to decarbonize the built environment, global demand for wood could grow fourfold by 2050. Reclaimed wood offers an interesting alternative as it helps lower the carbon footprint associated with virgin wood and helps architects salvage timber that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Urban Machine uses AI and robots to remove old nails and fasteners from lumber so it can be reused in other buildings. Dubbed “The Machine,” it consists of a portable system that can process lumber directly on construction or demolition sites. First, a machine learning algorithm calculates the quantity and quality of wood that can be recovered from each site. Then the system uses metal detectors to locate metallic elements for the robotic hands to extract. Finally, wire brushes polish the surface and “The Machine” performs a quality check to ensure the lumber is ready for a second life. 
urbanmachine.build

05 LANDSCAPES TO COOL THE PLANET 

The built environment is responsible for 39 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. What if we could curb those emissions before building projects even begin? Such is the aspiration of Urban Decarb, a new digital tool that helps landscape architects and urban planners calculate the carbon footprint of their designs, site and context considered, as early as the 3D modeling phase, then visualize which elements of their design have the highest carbon footprint and which have the lowest. Danish architecture firm Henning Larsen designed Urban Decarb, which is meant to aid in analyzing carbon footprints at the urban scale, using built-in assemblies for buildings and infrastructural elements like pavements, roads, and landscapes. It even considers projects’ geographical location and helps designers compare various scenarios—and their respective carbon footprints—in real time. The ultimate goal? To encourage designers to continually question their decisions and help them reassess before the concept has left the computer. 
henninglarsen.com/projects/urban-decarb