Mondo Materialis: Materials and Ideas for the Future

Based on an exhibition sponsored by New York City's Steelcase Design Partnership for the Cooper Hewitt Museum, this intriguing book explores the very essence of the design process. More than 120 architectural, interior and industrial design firms from around the world were invited to present their ideas on the materials and technologies of the future. The contributors range from various Tokyo studios and a Moscow design firm to cutting-edge Euros, such as Vienna's Coop Himmelblau, Italy's Matteo Thun and Paolo Portoghesi, to American architectural superstars Richard Meir, Cesar Pelli and Arquitectonica. Participants created 30-inch-square panels containing work they find inspiring. The reproduced panels illustrate a provocative range of finishes, processes or textures, and reflect current thinking on design potential for the built environment. The panels are organized thematically, including sections on technology, aesthetics and philosophical reflections. The often astonishing visions displayed address fundamental matters affecting the larger evolution of the man-made environment. Beylerian is creative director of Steelcase Design Partnership; Osborne is executive director of the International Design Conference in Colorado. (Nov.)