Minnesota-based architect and author Blaine Brownell is a self-defined materials researcher and sustainable building adviser. His "
Product of the Week" e-mails and two volumes of
Transmaterial (
2006,
2008) provide designers with a steady flow of inspiration—a 21st century version of
The Grammar of Ornament. Blaine has practiced architecture in Japan and the U.S. and has been published in more than a dozen design, business, and science publications. The recipient of a Fulbright fellowship for 2006–07, he researched contemporary Japanese material innovations at the Tokyo University of Science.