Last week I presented a range of conceptual materials and technologies as part of a project setup by Building Futures, the think tank of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

The use of new materials and technologies will play a role in shaping our future surroundings. A major challenge is the integration of new materials, such as nanotech and composites, with our current surroundings and everyday products. They pose a major challenge for designers and engineers, as well as the rest of us that have to use and consume these less familiar technologies.

Nanotech is an exciting area of material development for designers. There are many examples of products and materials that harness the extreme properties of nanotech, such as self-cleaning surface coatings, super strong and super light composites, and colour-shifting finishes. The exciting potential of these new discoveries, such as carbon nanotubes, has yet to be fully explored in the design of our everyday surroundings. Recently, however, the use and applications of nanotech materials has been criticised, because the impact of these materials and substances on our health and environment is not yet fully understood.

Designers are familiar with proposing and designing many years ahead. New materials and technologies demonstrate a vision of what's around the corner. Whilst it is essential to take current knowledge and understanding into account, designers have another important role: to challenge the rest of us to see an otherwise unexpected future and choose to accept it as our destiny.

Image: Aerogel and Peter Tsou, JPL scientist, image courtesy of JPL/NASA

As a designer, I am aware that it is important to strike a balance between inspirational materials and processes being developed in laboratories, and the fundamental materials and processes that make up the objects around us. Even so, many of the technologies now being used to produce consumer products, like computers and mobile phones, are becoming well-guarded secrets, giving brands their competitive edge.

My recently published book, Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals, covers a wide range of innovative materials and manufacturing processes that are having an impact on the design industry. The plan for this blog is to build on the success of Mode of Production, an exhibition that I curated in London last September during London Design Festival.

I saw these composite plastic panels at the Surface Design Show in London this year. They are produced by Bencore, an Italian manufacturer, and demonstrate some of the most endearing qualities of plastic - they are bright, colourful and lustrous. Both the cylindrical core and tough outer sheets are polycarbonate (PC). An amorphous polymer (unorganised and non-crystalline molecular structure), PC has excellent clarity, is tough and resistant to impact. All of these qualities have contributed to the widespread application of PC in consumer products, furniture and the iconic Apple iMacs.

Other materials used by Bencore include styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), high impact polystyrene (HIPS) and polyethylene terephthalate modified with glycol (PETG), all of which have excellent optical properties. I've seen these panels used in trade fair stands, shops, interiors and furniture. They look great backlit. There are many more types of plastic and composite panel and some interesting structural ones too (suitable for floors and wall), which I will talk about another time.

Image: Bencore composite panels