Zen and materiality

There is an architectural idea that lets building materials be what they want to be.

Metals can be polished or left to patina but they should work to their strengths: Steel should be tensile, brass should be soft, etc

Stone can be polished or rusticated but it should bear its load or show its veneer.

Concrete should be sculpted to show off its plasticity and then finished to show the mould that formed it or trowelled until it rings to show chemical process.

Glass should be held frameless to show the strength of its thinness.

Plaster and render should be left unpainted to show their surface but also incomplete to show its application.

Materials can be of one nature where people interact with them (smooth and softened) and another where they are battling the weather.

There is something very Zen about these concepts and the struggle to achieve the balance that is required.