Mattaforma's Glossary

Adaptive Daily Living classroom (n.) space for students on the autism spectrum to learn about independent living, including skills like setting the table, making the bed, folding laundry, cooking, baking, and loading the dishwasher.

Example: In the Adaptive Daily Living classroom, one student just cooked eggs for the first time!

Biodynamic (v.) of or relating to a system of farming that follows a sustainable, holistic approach which uses only organic, usually locally-sourced materials for fertilizing and soil conditioning, views the farm as a closed, diversified ecosystem, and often bases farming activities on lunar cycles.

Example: The plan brings together biodynamic farming and visitor spaces in a close knit relationship that will strengthen the ecology of the area.

Biodiversity (n.) biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals

Example: In the Verde Valley, six distinct ecologies converge to create exceptional biodiversity and resilience.

Biotic Communities (adj.) of, relating to, or caused by living organisms and their ideal communal living conditions.

Example: One this site, the biotic communities of the high desert, the natural spring and its subsequent creek represent a rich array of flora and fauna.

Carbon Sequestration (n.) any of various methods or processes for capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

Example: Wood construction, selective timber harvests that do not disturb the soil, and replanting trees after harvests are all forms of carbon sequestration.

Climate Resilience (n.) the capability of a strained ecosystem to recover after extreme weather or resist damage caused by climate change.

Example: Architecture situated in vulnerable places like the forest and the desert, requires a knowledge of how climate resilience becomes integral to the design.

Closed-loop (adj.) a system (habitat ecosystem, food system, and/or material supply chain) in which the birth, life, and death of the operation, process, or mechanism is circular, regulated by feedback, and feeds into an next cycle without externalities.

Example: Built to merge craft and ecology, the timber barns enable a closed-loop approach on the farm where waste becomes nutrient.

Coniferous Forest (n.) evergreen trees and shrubs having usually needle-shaped or scalelike leaves, that propagate with cones

Example: This mass timber building is situated between a deciduous and coniferous forest.

Cross Laminated Timber or CLT (n.) an engineered wood product made by gluing together layers of solid-sawn lumber at right angles to each other to form large, strong panels. These panels are used as structural elements in buildings and offer benefits like a high strength-to-weight ratio, faster construction, and carbon storage.

Example: The primary structure is Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) because of its structural, thermal, and acoustic benefits.

Decarbonize (v.) reduce or eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from a process such as manufacturing or the production of energy or in an environment.

Example: As a model for sustainable airplane engine factories of the future, the design is part of a broad strategy to rapidly decarbonize the aviation industry.

Deciduous Forest (n.) trees with leaves that fall off or shed seasonally or at a certain stage of development in their life-cycle, and propagate with nuts, fruits, and berries.

Example: This mass timber building is situated between a deciduous and coniferous forest.

Embodied Energy (n.) the total energy consumed in the production of a good or service, encompassing everything from resource extraction and manufacturing to transportation. It represents the energy “embodied” within a product, separate from the energy used for its operation or disposal.

Example: The embodied energy of wood is less than the embodied energy of materials that require massive amounts of heat to made including steel, concrete, and aluminum.

Generative Design (n.) an iterative design process where evolutionary software creates multiple design options based on a designer’s specified goals and constraints, such as materials, cost, and performance requirements.

Example: Using generative design, we were able to explore the trade offs of many design options that we would have otherwise not had access to.

Mass Timber (n.) a type of engineered wood made from smaller pieces of wood, adhesives, and fasteners, used for building large structures like bridges and buildings. It offers advantages such as sustainability and a low carbon footprint, faster construction times due to prefabrication, and good fire resistance, as the wood chars to create an insulating layer. Key products include cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glued-laminated timber (glulam).

Example: The architecture combines mass timber cassettes with lightweight framing on a small site with neighbors close by.

Occupational Therapy (n.) a healthcare profession focused on helping people of all ages develop, recover, or maintain skills for daily living and working.

Example: The new classroom provides space for swings, props, and lots of storage to support the kind of one-on-one occupational therapy that the school offers to students of all ages.

Neurodivergent (adj.) differing in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical or normal (frequently used with reference to autistic spectrum disorders); not neurotypical.

Example: In a Neurodivergent classroom, teachers should be able to easily adjust the space to the needs of their students by moving desks on wheels, making desks higher or lower for students in wheelchairs, and dimming the lights.

Multi-generational (adj.) relating to several generations.

Example: It is ethical to source wood from forests that are selectively harvested and cared for by groups that have a forest management plan that will is multi-generational.

Passive Heating (adj.) capturing and retaining heat from natural sources, like sunlight, without using mechanical systems.

Example: Thank goodness our home was designed with passive heating in mind, our energy bills have been much lower!

Passive Cooling (adj.) using building design and natural phenomena to lower indoor temperatures without mechanical systems like air conditioning.

Example: Feeling the fresh air throughout the school feels so healthy for the students; I can’t believe it is also cooling everything down naturally!

Passive House certified home (n.) a building built to stringent energy efficiency standards that reduce its heating and cooling energy use to a minimum, resulting in a very comfortable and low-carbon footprint living space.

Example: Welcome to your new passive-house certified home, designed to last and to be comfortable in all seasons with low-to-no energy bills.

Reclaimed Timber (adj.) wood that has been salvaged and repurposed from its original application, such as from old barns, factories, warehouses, and other structures.

Example: In the kitchen, a reclaimed timber bowling alley was designed to be the perfect countertop butcher block.

Regenerative (adj.) being part of a system that has the ability or is designed to form new life as part of its process.

Example: When wood is harvested for construction, new trees are planted in their place, making it one of the few regenerative materials that is also structural.

Stewardship (n.) the responsibility of taking care of something.

Example: When starting a new building project, we look at how the architecture can enable a stewardship of the site, and enhance its existing habitat, nature, and biodiversity.

Zero-waste (adj.) a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are repurposed (i.e. “up-cycled”) and/or reused.

Example: If someone aims to live a zero-waste life, their home will have a place for sorting materials for re-cycling and compost, and a place to fix and refurbish things.