The Latin phrase means “To be rather than to seem”. This Design Philosophy is essential to timeless quality architecture. Architects often use the term ‘Materiality’.
We promote indigenous, locally appropriate materials, forms, and orientation, this is a lost art! In this ‘perfect world’ scenario of excellence, the principles are worth pursuing. ‘Indigenous’ is a loaded word but in terms of architecture climate-appropriate, locally sourced, primary pure materials are essentially the meaning here.
Our modern materials offer limitless color, patterns, and texture variants. Unfortunately, this has led to materials pretending to be other materials. EIFs pretends to be stucco, stucco mimics stone; plastic laminate mimics veneer, and veneer represents solid wood.
No question that some pretenders offer superior qualities in terms of wear, thermal resistance, economy, and first cost. The trade-offs are complex; unavailable recycling programs, untested and unintended air quality consequences, long-term maintenance, or simply unrepairable/unmaintainable.
Time-tested primary materials are preferred; wood, stone, steel, bronze, cork, cotton, silk, etc.. All have an inherent, well-understood role of common use and acceptance. Secondary, Hybrid materials; alloys, concrete, glass, fiberboards, etc., may be less pure, but often just as satisfying in terms of their inherent gravitas/integrity. We advocate for craftsmen timelessly forming primary materials, expressing joinery and connections, but ultimately our clients live with the decisions we make together.