Knowledge
Practical material knowledge for architecture and interior design practices.
A beautifully designed room that echoes is a failed room. What architects should know about acoustics before drawing the concept.
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Three materials that often feel similar but behave very differently. When natural stone is the right choice, when ceramics, when wood.
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Every material looks wrong under the wrong light. What architects should know about colour temperature, colour rendering and light direction.
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A library is not static. Fire classes change, ranges are revised, availability shifts. What lies behind keeping data up to date.
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Limestone, marble, granite, quartzite, travertine, slate, bluestone and porcelain stoneware: properties, Mohs hardness, care and specification for architects.
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Weaving techniques, fibres, fire protection, Martindale, acoustics and specification: what architects need to know about wall claddings and upholstery fabrics.
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The grade classifies only the appearance of the timber, not its quality. How the common ladder from Prime to Rustikal is structured, and what architecture practices should pay attention to when specifying.
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How a trunk is sawn determines the figure, dimensional stability and price of the board. The four sawing patterns from plain sawn to live sawn, and when each is the right specification.
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Experiences from practice: which materials have stood the test of time, how suppliers respond, what actually works in live projects. Reviewed by architecture practices working with Material Concierge.
Members only
Describe what you are looking for: room type, fire class, surface, colour. The search agent searches your library and the master catalogue and delivers specific suggestions.
Pro members onlyTwo new ways to find what you need
Experiences that help
After using a material or working with a supplier, Material Concierge members can leave a short review. Stars, a brief note, what worked and what did not.
Reviews are only visible within the MC network. Not public. No marketing.
Suppliers can respond to reviews and reply directly.
Describe. Find. Decide
Instead of browsing catalogues: simply describe what you need.
«Dark natural stone for a wet area, fire class A1, available in Switzerland.»
The AI search agent searches your own library and the Material Concierge master catalogue simultaneously. It suggests the three most suitable materials, with technical data and direct contact to the supplier.
Practical knowledge from live projects
The topics here grow with the questions that reach us from working with architecture and design practices. If you miss a topic, or want one explored in more depth, write to us.