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Construction worker in a safety vest operates a crane to position large wooden beams and other materials at a building site in a desert landscape under a partly cloudy sky.
Builders construct the mass timber roof at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, designed by Snøhetta. Photo courtesy CHAD ZIEMENDORF

July 29, 2026

Rediscovering the Joy of Materials

METROPOLIS’s April/May/June 2026 Issue explores how thoughtful choices can transform projects, strengthen communities, and inspire better design.

By: Avinash Rajagopal

Shanghai-based design practice Neri&Hu produces beautiful buildings and spaces around the world—its current projects include an arts center in Utah, residences in South Africa, and two hotels in China. “We ask the question every day, for every project: How are we relevant to the time we’re in, to the culture we work in, and to the people who are using this?” says cofounder Rosanna Hu. And more often than not, at the intersection of those three questions lies a material—reclaimed walls, red concrete, or a particular beige brick that can withstand the salt air of the ocean and that local workers are adept at handling.

Every story in this issue showcases the power—and joy—of discovering the perfect materials for a project, a place, and a community. 

Construction site with a curved, layered wooden structure inspired by biophilia, heavy equipment, and scaffolding under a timber ceiling; Metropolis magazine cover about sustainable architecture.
The rammed earth walls at Snøhetta’s Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library echo the striations of North Dakota’s Badlands.

At the heart of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, the architecture and design firm Snøhetta put in massive rammed earth walls. Layers of colored earth pile up like the landscape of North Dakota’s Badlands, which were so influential in Roosevelt’s life. “People who really know the Badlands can point to the colors and say, ‘I know where that comes from’,” says Snøhetta director and architect Aaron Dorf. 

Eight colorful skeins of yarn hang vertically against a white background under the Metropolis magazine title and a headline about materials inspiration, capturing the essence of biophilia through their vibrant, nature-inspired hues.
Dorothy Cosonas’s second collection for Luum, Craft Work, explores craft and process.

A new generation of architecture leaders, all with roots in Latin America, instinctively understand the power of that kind of connection to community. They know how brick, terrazzo, timber, volcanic stone, and industrial metal panels carry with them the weight of culture and labor, and they leverage that to make active, innovative spaces. “We approach projects always with the same attitude,” says architect Leandro Piazzi, “understanding architecture as a material action—something that is built to exist.”

This evocative nature of materials is the first thing experienced—sometimes subliminally—by the people who live, work, learn, and heal in the spaces that architects and designers create. That’s the gateway to appreciating the other impacts materials can have on function and performance (“14 Products Shaping a More Responsive Office”) or on our health and the environment (“10 Standout Biobased Materials from NeoCon 2026”). 

We hope this issue helps you reconnect with the joy of materials—and gets you thinking about how you can unleash their power in your projects. 

Read every story from our 2026 April/May/June Issue:

Features

Selects

Nature

Culture

Work

Craft

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