The Structure and Materials Laboratory in the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands presents an admirable model for the processes of slow design. In its quest for advanced materials, structural design and manufacturing techniques for lightweight structures, the Delft program looks deeply at the trinity of material, shape and process, including, importantly, the design legacies of ancient and traditional nomadic cultures.

This program grew not only from a fascination with materials science, but also from a very real concern about dwindling fossil resources and other detrimental environmental impacts of commonly-used materials, and it is particularly focused on experimenting with and developing ‘minimum energy’ structures and materials.

In 1989, Adriaan Beukers and Ed van Hinte published a book documenting the research, ideas and products of their lab, Lightness: The Inevitable Renaissance of Minimum Energy Structures.

slowLab believes that supporting designers with materials knowledge and opportunities for its practical application are integral to the evolution of more innovative and informed design solutions.

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