The Materials Research Collaborative (MRC) at the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design serves as a materials resource for material discovery, innovation, instruction, and research for the 870 Hines College students  and area professionals. The MRC has developed a web-based database that catalogs the physical materials in its collection. Ongoing work of the MRC includes uncovering new and innovative materials, cataloging the physical samples, and researching and inputting data regarding the specific extrinsic and intrinsic properties of these materials. The MRC is also engaged in specific material research projects such as a database of local materials, LEED v 4 consulting, and carbon emissions analysis of buildings.

This work is funded by our Firm Partner: Page; our Founding Partners: Page,  Kendall/Heaton, and Gensler; and our Supporters: Architecture Center Houston Foundation, the University of Houston Green Building Components program, Skanska USA, and the Hines College.

Visit the MRC Material Catalog.

Cartography of Undervalued Materials in Texas

The MRC at the Hines College has created a cartographic catalog of Texas’s undervalued raw, wasted, and recycled materials. Identifying and mapping these undervalued resources aims to improve communication about their availability for innovative use in emerging design practices. Texas is an agricultural and industrial state rich in natural resources, producing oil, cattle, sheep, and cotton. The state also produces poultry, eggs, dairy, greenhouse and nursery products, wheat, hay, rice, sugarcane, peanuts, and various fruits and vegetables. Recently, hemp has been added as a crop — it's a low-carbon material used for its fiber and extracted oil.

The MRC functions as a resource library, an educational tool, and an experimental research facility dedicated to promoting the sustainable use of innovative materials. Today, raw materials are being consumed at a rapid rate in a linear economy. To develop a circular economy of matter transformation on Earth, careful consideration of materials at any stage — raw or waste — is essential. Therefore, designers and architects must address material ethics that reflect the looming scarcity of resources. They are developing material solutions based on bio-based recyclables or waste from other industries, which can re-enter the material cycle when a product’s lifecycle ends. Earlier approaches with limited applications in industrial mass production are being reconsidered and revitalized through new processing techniques, such as additive manufacturing with natural polymers. From this perspective, traditional craft techniques, knowledge of locally available plants, and useful waste materials passed down through generations are experiencing a renaissance.

View our Cartography of Undervalued Materials in Texas.

Principal Investigator: Ophélia Mantz
Website: Kevin Glidden
Photography: Sean Fleming
Student Assistants: Léne Fourie, Isabella Nguyen, Lidieth Gonzalez, Nicole Valdes

To learn more about the MRC or to suggest other Houston makers, contact Ophélia Mantz, MRC Director, at omantz@central.uh.edu or 713-743-2400.

Location