ARCH–MAT–MEU
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Herzog & de Meuron
Material Intelligence
Surface acting as spatial structure
ARCH–MAT–MEU
This is some text inside of a div block.
Surface acting as spatial structure
Herzog & de Meuron
ARCH–MAT–MEU
Surface acting as spatial structure
Index Code:
ARCH–MAT–MEU
Orgin:
Switzerland
Field Notes:
Surface as structure • Pattern guiding space • Material shifting with light
Defining Moment:
The Ricola Storage Building introduced their approach — material, pattern, and surface treated as a unified spatial system rather than façade.

Herzog & de Meuron

( 
1980s–present
 )
hair-tsog and deh moy-ron

Herzog & de Meuron’s work forms a world built from surface logic — space shaped through texture, pattern, and structural skin.

Light activates the grain.

Planes read as filtered thresholds.

Interiors merge raw and refined states.

Edges shift between exposure and finish.

Volume adapts to program without losing clarity.

‍

Material becomes façade and form.

Structural Focus

Material as Condition

Material behavior determines outcome more than composition or image. Gravity, density, texture, or resistance guide form.

In Herzog & de Meuron’s work, this approach appears where surface behavior shapes sensory experience.

Position

Material as Condition

Material behavior determines outcome more than composition or image. Gravity, density, texture, or resistance guide form.

In Herzog & de Meuron’s work, this approach appears where surface behavior shapes sensory experience.
Chromatic Fields
Color fields operate as spatial and structural organizers.
Systems of Clarity
Order and coherence arise through disciplined systems and constraints.
Material
Material behavior governs form through weight, resistance, and constraint.
Structure
Structure holds the work through rules, joins, and controlled relationships between parts.
Atmosphere
Atmosphere accumulates through calibrated light, tone, and spatial pacing.
Architecture
Form organizes space through structure, proportion, and material decision.
Structural Expressionism
Structure is expressed through visible systems and forces.
Material Modernism
Modern form is grounded in material behavior and construction.
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Context

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Structual Relations
The following practices are connected through shared structural decisions in form, material, and spatial logic.

By Structural Focus

ⓘ
How are these related?
Quiet Modernism relates practices through how form is organized rather than how it appears. Connections emerge through shared structural conditions — such as repetition, constraint, spatial organization, material behavior, or duration — even when outcomes differ.

A single grouping may reflect multiple overlapping structural concerns.
Studio Mumbai
Surface acting as spatial structure
OMA
Surface acting as spatial structure

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