Press
2021
Jonathan Hilburg, “Matter Design envisions a configurable concrete gathering place at the El Paso border: Border Matters,” archpaper.com January 26, 2021.
“AquíAquí,” designawards.architects.org January 26, 2021.
Wilson Barlow, “Matter Design and the Grayson School Collaborate on Play Lab Outdoor Learning Center,” interiordesign.net April, 5 2021.
Wilson Barlow, “Outside the Classroom,” Interior Design April 2021: 72-73.
Katherine Guimapang, “'Architecture as Provider Instead of Shelter': Matter Design's Brandon Clifford Discusses Architecture and Speculative Design as a Catalyst for Social Good,” Archinect.com April 14, 2021.
“AZ Awards 2021: Meet the Finalists!,” azuremagazine.com April 22, 2021.
Nate Berg, “How an ancient building technique could help solve the climate crisis,” fastcompany.com May 10, 2021.
“Magical Experimentation,” Azure Magazine AZ Awards 2021 Issue, July/Aug 2021: 78.
“Studio-MLA, BIG, Matter Design, and Rice University students among winners of the 2021 AZ Awards,” archinect.com July 14, 2021.
2020
Jonathan Hilburg, “Matter Design parlays its concrete research into a Pennsylvania play-lab,” archpaper.com September 21, 2020.
“Brandon Clifford,” What is Small-Scale Architecture?: Emerging Ideas in Architecture & Design Archhive Books, Issue 2, 2020: 10-19.
Francesca Perry, “Experimental ‘Play-Lab’ for teenagers prototyped by Matter Design,” iconeye.com September 17, 2020.
Nick Gelpi, “The Impossibly Real: In Pursuit of New Translations, The Physical Motivations of Round Room and La Voûte de LeFevre,” The Architecture of Full-Scale Mock-Ups: From Representation to Reality, New York: Routledge, 2020: 89-113.
Adrian Madlenar, “Mineral Miners: 7 diverse designers deftly explore and employ sediment-based materials,” TL Magazine no. 34, November 2020: 168-175.
“Five Fields Play Structure,” Renewal: American Institute of Architects Small Project Design 2018 Review, Vol. 4, 2020: 3, 50-53.
Drew Zeiba, “Matter Design looks to the past to design a more animated architecture,” archpaper.com June 22, 2020.
Drew Zeiba, “Performance Matters: Matter Design looks to the past to design a more animated architecture,” The Architect’s Newspaper June/July 2020: 18-19.
Gideon Fink Shapiro, “Award: Walking Assembly Is Poetry and Structure in Motion,” architectmagazine.com July 12, 2020.
Wanda Lau, “14th Annual R+D Awards,” architectmagazine.com July 12, 2020.
Gideon Fink Shapiro, “the 14th Annual R+D Awards,” Architect Magazine July 2020: 2, 73.
Emily Thomas, “CEMEX and Matter Design project receives R + D 2020 award,” worldcement.com August 28, 2020.
Mara Francisca González, “Grayson Play-Lab for Adolescent Education / Matter Design,” archdaily.com September 6, 2020.
Romina Totaro, “Back to school: moving the class outside,” domusweb.it September 5, 2020.
“The Grayson Play-Lab,” architectmagazine.com September 11, 2020.
2019
Nora Young w/ Brandon Clifford, “Rethinking Craft,” Spark with Nora Young Prod. Adam Killick, CBC Radio, September 20, 2019.
“The Architectural Secrets of the World’s Ancient Wonders,” ted.com June 21, 2019
“Heavy Rollers,” Concrete Quarterly Issue 268, June 2019: 3.
Katherine Keener, “‘Walking Assembly’ shedding light on Stonehenge,” art-critique.com May 31, 2019.
Geoff Manaugh, “Tradizione Instantanea (Instant Heritage),” Domus Magazine n. 1036 June 2019: cover and 680-685.
“Domus 1036: Reinterpretare il passato,” domusweb.it June 1, 2019.
Fernanda Castro, “18 Cool Examples of Architecture for Kids,” arch daily.com May 31, 2019.
Aria Bendix, “I watched over 100 TED Talks, and these insights have stuck with me the most,” business insider.com April 25, 2019.
Gabriela Fri as, “Estas enormes piezas de concreto se pueden mover con las manos,” cnnespanol.cnn.com April 17, 2019.
Brian Greene, Daryl Chen, and Emily McManus, “In Case You Missed It: Highlights from TED 2019,” blog.ted.com April 19, 2019.
KatharineSchwab, “This MIT team is reinventing building by looking at the ancient wold,” fastcompany.com April 19, 2019.
Researchers Partner with CEMEX to Design Maneuverable Concrete Blocks: Weighing up to 25 tons, the concrete blocks can be rocked, pivoted, tilted, walked and rolled.,” forconstructionpros.com April 18, 2019
Taylor Dafoe, “These 13,000-Pound Concrete Blocks Can Be Moved With One Hand—and They Provide Vital Clues About How Stonehenge Was Made,” news.artnews.com April 18, 2019.
These Smart Megalithic Stones Are Moved And Assembled Easily With The Hands,” arch daily.com April 18, 2019.
Andrew Liszewski, “Researchers Made 3.900-Pound Boulders They Can Move by Hand, Giving More Insights Into Ancient Engineering,” gizmodo.com April 17, 2019.
Aria Bendix, “MIT researchers discovered a way to move objects as heavy as a great white shark with your bare hands. Take a look.” business insider.com April 16, 2019.
Mackenzie Goldberg, “Matter Design and CEMEX unveil new research on concrete at TED 2019,” archinect.com April 15, 2019.
Jonathan Hilburg, “WALK THE DINOSAUR - Matter Design and Cemex conjure monumental concrete constructs for TED 2019,” archpaper.com April 15, 2019.
Niklas Maak, “Das sind die Erben des Bauhauses,” faz.net April 25, 2019
Anthony Morey, “Playing in the World, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Fetish with Jon Yoder,” architect.com March 13, 2019.
Ian Dickson, “XC90 Presents… Sustainable Design,” volvocars.com March 3, 2019.
Eillie Anzilotti, “Meet this year’s 20 inspiring, creative TED Fellows,” fastcompany.com January 23, 2019.
“Meet the 2019 TED Fellows and Senior Fellows,” blog.ted.com January 23, 2019.
“Sing It Loud,”Hinge Magazine Vol. 269, 2019: 4.
Alessio Caprodossi, “Spostare massi da 25 tonnellate con una mano? Si può fare,” wired.it April 19, 2019.
Suzanne Labarre, “The best experimental designs of 2019: See all the honorees of the 2019 Innovation by Design Awards in the Experimental category.,” fastcompany.com June 15, 2019.
Lauren Grace Morris, “Moving Mass,” FRAME Magazine N. 129 July / Aug, 2019: 176.
Bill Palmer, “Tilt-Up Innovations: New Materials and Equipment Can Simplify Construction and Increase Sustainability,” Concrete Construction July/Aug 2019: 22-23.
Jenna McKnight, “Brandon Clifford creates heavy concrete sculptures that sway and roll,” dezeen.com August 1, 2019.
The Editors, “Announcing the winners of the 2019 AN Best of Design Awards,” archpaper.com December 4, 2019.
Nina Azzarello, “Top 10 Videos of 2019,” designboom.com December 19, 2019.
2018
Kelly Blair, Kristy Balliet, Adam Fure, and Kyle Miller (eds) Possible Mediums '“Puzzles” Actar Publishers: New York, 2018: 127-129.
Chew Yen Tan, “Five Fields Play Structure,” Pin Prestige Magazine: Issue 66, November 2018: 257.
“Announcing the winners of the 2018 AN Best of Design Awards,” archpaper.com December 5, 2018.
Mackenzie Goldberg, “Finalists announced for 2019 MoMA/PS1 Young Architects Program,” archinect.com December 5, 2018.
Katherine Keane, “MoMA and MoMA PS1 Announce 2019 Young Architects Program Finalists: The five studios hail from the Northeast and from Mexico City.” architectmagazine.com December 5, 2018.
Sydney Franklin, “MoMA picks five finalists for the Young Architects Program 2019,” archpaper.com December 5, 2018.
Aaron Betsky, “Beyond Buildings: Better Safe than Sexy,” architectmagazine.com December 17, 2019.
“Best of Design 2018: New Materials,” The Architect’s Newspaper Vol. 16: Issue 12, December 2018: 68.
Joan Billing, “Die Poesie Der Einfachheit "The New Soft Haptic",” Swiss Ladies Drive No. 44, 2018: 80-82.
Justine Testado, “Winners of the 2018 AIA New England Design Awards,” archinect.org October 29, 2018.
“Megaphones: Matter Design,” MetaTrends, Vol. 107 November 2018.
“Five Fields Play Structure,” Spaces For Children C3: Seoul, 2018: 18-25.
Inho Jeong, “Five Fields Play Structure,” Interiors: Playground / Kids Café / School August 2018: 164-169.
Sara Ingemann, “Soft Volume,” RUM Magazine No. 5, 2018: 178.
“Opening Gala Concert: New York, Meet Jaap,” nyphil.org August 28, 2018.
Tom Dobbins, “Shaping the Future: What to Consider When Designing for Children,” archdaily.com September, 9, 2018.
“Ashley Fure and Lilleth Glimcher talks about their Experimental Megaphone Project,” p-e-o-p-l-e.com September, 9 2018.
“Back to School: Responsive Fabric, Architectural Ephemera, and Cannibalistic Materials are Among the Experimental Projects at MIT,” The Architect’s Newspaper September, 2018: 26.
Jonathan Hilburg, “Responsive fabric and cannibalistic materials: A look at MIT’s experimental projects,” archpaper.com September, 17, 2018.
Joshua Barone, “Megaphones Up, the Philharmonic Opens With Two Young Voices,” nytimes.com September 18, 2018.
Anthony Tommasini, “Review: The Jaap van Zweden Era Begins at the Philharmonic,” nytimes.com September 21, 2018.
Michael Cooper, “A Maestro Ready for His Baton,” New York Times, September 20, 2018: C6
Joshua Barone, “Philharmonic Opens With Two Young Voices,” New York Times, September 20, 2018: C6
“Matter Design Creates Custom Megaphones to Democratize the New York Philharmonic,” urdesignmag.com September 20, 2018.
Brian Taylor, “Review: New York ‘Officially’ Meets Jaap with Philharmonic’s Season Opening,” zealnyc.com September 21, 2018.
Alison Stewart, “'Filament's' Philharmonic Premiere,” WNYC National Public Radio, ‘All Of It’, September 21, 2018.
Amanda Angel, “New York Philharmonic Opens its Season With Bespoke New Works,” playbill.com September 21, 2018.
“Matter Design Megaphones for the New York Philharmonic,” notcot.org September 21, 2018.
Pierre Léonforte & Daniel Béres, “l'anti-Rome antique en 10 raisons,” Air France Magazine, #258 Octobre 2018: 110, 121.
“Megaphones,” highlike.org October 13, 2018.
“ACADIA Election 2018 Results,” acadia.org October 13, 2018.
“The Boston Society of Architects announces the winners of the 2018 AIA New England Design Awards,” bostonrealestatetimes.com October 25, 2018.
Lauren Ro, “11 of the best small architecture projects of 2018: The AIA has selected 11 noteworthy small-scale projects,” curbed.com June 1, 2018.
The American Institute of Architects , “AIA Announces Small Project Award Recipients,” residentialdesignmagazine.com June 1, 2018.
Justine Testado,”From California to Iowa to New York, here are the stunning AIA 2018 Small Project Award winners,” archinect.com June 4, 2018.
“Could waste be the construction material of the future?,”provada.nl June 2, 2018.
Bridget Cogley, “AIA recognises the best small projects in the US for 2018 awards,” dezeen.com June 6, 2018.
Ella Comberg, “AIA Announces Winners of 2018 Small Project Awards,” archdaily.com June 6, 2018.
Riccardo Buratti, “The Cannibal’s Cookbook. Cyclopean Architecture for a better future: The Cannibal’s Cookbook is a practical manual on Cyclopean masonry that questions today’s demolition systems, proposing new solutions.” Domusweb.it May 7, 2018.
Katharine Schwab, “Why We Should Be Building Like Ancient Greeks: An MIT professor introduces cyclopean masonry, a new method of building that’s actually really old.” FastCoDesign.com March 22, 2018.
Luke Ryan, “Five Fields: In a progressive suburban community in country Massachusetts, a daring new playground is redefining the boundaries between architecture, design and fun.,” Lunch Lady Magazine Issue 10, 2018: 76-81.
BSA Design Awards, “Five Fields Play Structure: 2017 Small Firms Design,” designawards.architects.org January 26, 2018.
Elizabeth Pagliacolo, “Amazing Concrete: One of the world's most polluting building materials is undergoing a seismic revolution, becoming a leaner, lighter and smarter version of itself,” Azure Magazine Mar/Apr Issue, 2018: 78-85.
Sara Johnson, “Five Fields Play Structure: 2017 Small Firms Design,” architectmagazine.com June 1, 2018.
“2018 Small Project Awards: Five Fields Play Structure,” aia.org June 1, 2018.
2017
“Five Fields Play Structure” The Architect’s Newspaper: Best of Design Awards Issue, December, 2017: 63.
Daisy Alioto, “PLAYFUL EXPERIMENTATION: 2017 Best of Design Awards for Small Spaces,” archpaper.com December 15, 2017.
Ken Shulman, “Using ancient knowledge to create contemporary architecture: Ghost stories and digital technologies meet in the work of Rome Prize winner Brandon Clifford,” news.mit.edu December 12, 2017.
Brandon Clifford, "The Rendering of Rhetorical Matter / La Resa Di Una Materialità Retorica,” in Carlo Ratti (ed.) Domus Magazine, Innovation Issue - 1011, March 2017: 33-37.
Katherine Schwab, “A Utopian Midcentury Neighborhood Gets Updated For Helicopter Parents: When your neighborhood was built by Walter Gropius and crew, a high-design play structure has to fit right in.” fastcodesign.com February 21, 2017.
Dan Howarth, “Matter Design's architectural play equipment encourages kids to crawl, jump and fly,” dezeen.com February 14, 2017.
Mackenzie Goldberg, “Matter Design's Five Fields Play Structure Reinvents the Purpose of Play,” archinect.com February 21, 2017.
“Forging Imagination: Brandon Clifford and Michael Schanbacher designed special timber playground in Lexington, USA, meant for ‘childish’ exploration and totally devoted to imagination.” domusweb.it February 25, 2017.
Mackenzie Goldberg, "Trying Something New with Matter Design," archinect.com April 10, 2017.
2016
Brandon Clifford & WAR (Interview), “Making Matters,” Wentworth Architecture Review, vol. 6, 2016: 138-143.
Galo Canizares, “A Review of Contemporary Rocks: Three projects from MIT architects and designers use “geo-mimicry” to build new environments,” medium.com December 1, 2016.
Viola Ago, “Immersion in robotic design keeps ACADIA workshops true to 'Posthuman Frontiers' theme,” archinect.com November 10, 2016.
Isabelle Leysens, “ACADIA's 'Floating Megalith' workshop challenges architecture's obsession with surface over volume,” archinect.com November 4, 2016.
Vanessa Liwanag, “In Time: The Boston Design Scene,” archiexpo.com, Sept 29, 2016.
“Matter Design,” in Ila Berman and Douglas Burhman, Expanded + Field: Architectural Installation Beyond Art, Applied Research + Design Publishing, New York 2016: 160-167.
“Brandon Clifford: Gothicness, On the Strangeness of Rib Details,” The week ahead: music, theater, art, and more, bostonglobe.com, June 29, 2016.
“Concrete Comfort: Matter Design questions the notion of comfort through an unconventional spa experience,” Frame, Issue #108, January/February 2016, pp. 6.
John Brownlee, “Inspired By Stonehenge, MIT Floats A 2,000-Pound Megalith On Water,”fastcodesign.com, June 2016.
“Together, We Can Move Megaliths,” Spectrum Magazine, Spring 2016: 34.
“Microtherme: A Condensed Concrete Spa,” Artpower Creative Space, No. 13, May 2016: 26-29.
“Hot Stuff: Spruce Sauna,” Clad Magazine, Issue 1, 2016: 126.
Jeff Link, “5 Ways Architects and Postdigital Artisans Are Modernizing Craftsmanship,” archdaily.com, Feb 2016.
Elsa Lam, “Concrete Developments: Our cities have been constructed with concrete—can that concrete continue to sustain the passion of our cites?,” Canadian Architect, Jan 2016: 6.
2015
Brandon Clifford & Wes McGee, “Matter Design’s: Best of Commercial Robotic Fabrication Innovation,” Uncube Magazine, Uncanny Valley No. 36, 2015.
Karen Lewis, Graphic Design for Architects: A Manual for Visual Communication, Routledge, Oxon 2015: 26, 31, 38-42.
“Matter Design” in Jonathan Openshaw, Postdigital Artisans: Craftmanship with a New Aesthetic in Fashion, Art, Design and Architecture, Frame Publishers, Amsterdam 2015: 270-273.
Dan Haworth, “Dezeen's top 10 design installations of 2015,” dezeen.com, Dec 2015.
John Brownlee, “MIT’s 2,000-Pound Megalith Can Be Moved With A Fingertip,” fastcodesign.com, Nov 2015.
Rory Stott, “Matter Design's "Helix" Stair Takes Concrete to the Next Level,” archdaily.com, June 2015.
Alan G Brake, “MIT students create 2,000-pound “megalith” that can be moved with a fingertip,” dezeen.com, Nov 2015.
Lena Nilsson, “Bostonstudion Matter Design skapar nytt med gamla metoder,” Cementa No. 3, 2015: 15.
Michael Blanding, “Designing Across Disciplines: Architectural cross-studios encourage students to bridge gaps between design, history, and engineering,” MIT News, Oct 2015.
“Matter Design,” Seasons Magazine #29 October 2015: 41.
“Knotta Chandelier,” Chic Haus, Sept 2015: 20.
Jenna McKnight, “Matter Design’s Microtherme conceals voluptuous concrete forms within a wooden box,” dezeen.com, Sept 2015.
David Dick-Agnew, “Experiments in Micro-Architecture,” azuremagazine.com, June 2015.
Sarah Hagman (ed), “Think Outside the Breadbox,” The Improper Bostonian, July 1-21, 2015: 196.
Danielle Rago, “Next Progressives: Matter Design,” Architect Magazine, Jan 2015: 54-57.
Anna Bergren Miller, “Digital Incan Masonry by Matter Design,” Architect’s Newspaper
www.archpaper.com, Jan 2015.
2014
Brandon Clifford, “Promotional Proportions,” in Andreas Luescher (ed.), The Architect’s Guide to Effective Self-Presentation, Routledge: London, 2014: 24-27.
Carlo Aiello (ed.) “Depth: Matter Design,” Evolo: Digital and Parametric Architecture, Issue 06, 2014, pp. 147-159.
“Steamy Spruce,” Frame, Issue #99, July/August 2014, pp. 24.
James McCown, “More Than Just Speculating: Three Boston Architectural Firms Are Change-Makers,” Art New England, Jan-Feb 2014: 10-11.
Chelsea Blahut, “Book: Young Architects 15: Range: Young Architects 15 showcases the work of the winners of the 2013 Architectural League Prize,” architectmagazine.com, June 2014.
Shaunacy Ferro, “Maze-Like Sauna Is A Steamy Winter Retreat: in Matter Design’s Spruce Suana, rooms are nested vertically and ceilings are curved to circulate steam,” fastcodesign.com, April 2014.
2013
Brandon Clifford, Wes McGee, Dave Pigram, “Q+A Brandon Clifford, Wes McGee and Dave Pigram,” in Rashida NG + Sneha Patel (ed.), Performative Materials in Architecture and Design, Intellect: Bristol, UK, 2013: 145-154.
Ken Shulman, “Ready to Build: The two partners at Matter Design excel at converting their avant-garde ideas into reality,” Metropolis Magazine, July-Aug 2013: 26-28.
David Abondano, “The Return of Nature as an Operative Model: Decoding of Material Properties as Generative Inputs to the Form-Making Process,” IJAC International Journal of Architectural Computing, 2(11), 2013: 267-283.
Lorena Mariño Torrado, “Matter Design,” The Issue Magazine. Issue #3, July 2013: 103-112.
June Wulff, “To Do List: Pick of the Day,” The Boston Globe, March 4, 2013: 2G.
Emilie Chalcraft, “Helix Staircase by Matter Design,” Dezeen, March 31, 2013.
Ian Veidenheimer, “Architectural League Prize 2013: Matter Design,” archleague.org November 11, 2013.
2012
Giuseppe Fallacara, Stereotomy: Stone Architecture and New Research, Presses des Ponts, 2012: 38-41.
Brandon Clifford, “Temporal Tenancy,” StudioPLEX: Architecture, a timely matter, Volume 1, 2012: 71-73.
“Temporal Tenancy,” Monitor Magazine, No. 69, 2012: 108-109.
Christopher Beorkrem, Material Strategies in Digital Fabrication, Routledge, 2012: 166-171.
Perrin Drumm, “La Voûte de LeFevre, A Study in Stereotomy,” www.archpaper.com. Sept 2012.
“it’s volumetric / matter design,” Monitor Magazine, No. 68, 2012: 40-43.
Lidija Grozdanic, “La Voute de LeFevre Installation Investigates Stereotomic Design through Digital Fabrication,” www.evolo.us. Aug 2012.
2011
“The Hippest Joints,” Azure Magazine, AZ Awards Issue, 2011: 65.
Kelly Minner, “SOM Announces the 2011 SOM Prize Winner,” archdaily.com August 21, 2011.
Benjamin Rice, “Temporal Tenancy / Brandon Clifford.” www.evolo.us. July 2011
2010
“Product Reports > Furnishings,” Architectural Record, Product Reports Issue, 2010: 111.
“CW Keller Plywood Furniture.” www.design-milk.com. Nov 2010.
Kottas, Dimitris. Contemporary Digital Architecture: Design & Technique, 2010.
“matter design > periscope,” Monitor Magazine, No. 61, 2010: 82-85.
Karen Cilento “Periscope / Matter Design.” www.archdaily.com. July 2010.
2009
Iwamoto, Lisa. “A Change of State” Digital Fabrications: Architectural and Material Techniques. Princeton Architectural Press, 2009: 28-29.
2007
“Georgia Tech Ventulett Chair Installation,” Dwell, Vol. 7 No. 2, February 2007, p. 42.
2006
Azure, Nov/Dec 2006, p. 46.
Elaine Louie. “From Architecture Students, A Sculpture Structure of Polycarbonate,” The New York Times, September 28 2006, p. D3.
“A Change of State,” www.mark-magazine.com, September 28, 2006.