The problem with calling a plastic biodegradable
Biodegradable describes a process under particular conditions, not a promise that a discarded object will vanish. The test, the environment and the disposal route matter.
A place for slower thoughts
Material Weather
How everyday materials change with water, heat, stress and time.
Words by Celia Venn
The archive
5 storiesFrom the notebook
How a crack travels through concrete
A visible concrete crack can join smaller fractures, bend around stone, or deepen under changing strain. Its path matters, but the cause takes more than a glance to establish.
The moisture hidden in a wooden board
A dry board still trades water with the air. Where that water sits, and how quickly each face responds, determines whether the wood widens, bends, or cracks.
Why old window glass catches the light
Old panes bend reflected rooflines and transmitted views because their surfaces remember how they were made. Thickness, tint, and newer float glass reveal different parts of the light story.
The rust that protects weathering steel
Weathering steel depends on a close-fitting rust layer formed through wet and dry cycles. Where salts, leaks and debris keep a bridge wet, the same brown surface can conceal continuing metal loss.