Missing Texture. Materiality of the Digital Realm

The advent of computational design in architecture situated materiality in a new perspective. The physical materials have become virtual textures, imitating their real equivalents encoded by 0s and 1s. While materials are fundamental means of architectural creation that affect the design process, textures can be changed with a mouse click.

The digital turn in architecture highlights the critical points at which materials have a crucial role in the design process. Can we design without materials? What are the prospects of designing by trial and error and changing materials on a costless surface to see what it looks like? How loose or tight is the association with our physical preconceptions of materials?

Traditionally trained designers are usually confused in the virtual playground by not seeing the relation between digital and physical materials. The current article wants to pinpoint some questions which can occur in architectural design during the translation between virtuality and reality.