At present, material energies 8211; that is thermal variation, air velocity, spectrums of light and electricity 8211; remain a largely untapped source of innovation and inspiration for architects. Commonly relegated to the production of ambience - 8216;moods8217; or 8216;effects8217; - energies tend to be explored, in a design context, as little more than metaphor or poetics. Alternatively, they are regarded wholly as a resource for providing preconceived, rule-of-thumb interior comfort zones or as a set of measurables for determining 8216;energy efficient8217; buildings. Energies looks at ways of elevating these materials from their dependence on surfaces and services and in so doing, deploying them as building materials in themselves; thus redefining our physical boundaries through a wholly new means of spatial organisation. * The publication propels the sustainability debate forward by making 8216;material energies8217; the catalyst for experimental design. * The issue deals with a wide range of scales of design, from architecture to building design and that of landscape and urban planning * Contributors include Michelle Addington, Petra Blaisse, Penelope Dean, Helene Furjan, An Te Liu, Zbigniew Oksiuta, Philippe Rahm and WEATHERS.