Mixed Matters

Are there any historical precedents and/or any theoretical
discourses that this paradigm shift can refer/relate to?
I have always thought that Ruskin wrote about masonry construction in
much the same way we talk about voxels in the studio. Designing for additive
methods of production has much in common with these systems.
Viollet-le-Duc is another one whose writings have always seemed very appropriate;
I see many parallels to medieval architecture. It's about accumulation
of discrete elements and very often material differences arise from
geometric differentiation and not necessarily a change in material. Modern
architecture has nothing to do with our contemporary material paradigm. The
scale of components is completely different, more primitive architectures
that predate industrialised production processes forced designers to think
about materials the way 3D printers are forcing us to think about materials
now.
Figure 1: Meta-materiality study detail.
51 Contemporary Materialities. An Interview with Francis Bitonti