Nano Materials: Applications of Nano Materials in Architecture and Design

Nanotechnology is widely regarded as one of the twenty-first centurys key technologies, and its economic importance is sharply on the rise. In architecture and the construction industry it has potentials that are already usable today, especially the coating of surfaces to lend them functional characteristics such as increased tensile strength, self-cleaning capacity, fire resistance, and others. Additives based on nanomaterials make common materials lighter, more permeable, and more resistant to wear. Nanomaterials are not only extremely useful for roofs and facades; they also expand design possibilities for interior and exterior rooms and spaces. Nanoinsulating materials open up new possibilities for ecologically oriented architects.In this book, with a foreword by nobel prize winner Harold Kroto, architects, interior designers and designers will find an introduction to the scientific background specifically tailored to their needs, a critical discussion of the advantages and limits of the technology, and above all a comprehensive presentation of sixteen characteristics and functions of nanomaterials that are specially relevant for building and design, illustrated by numerous international project examples.