While not the easiest read for those not familiar with the techniques described to study the micro-structural avalanches, it is still an interesting article concerning the nature of material change.
For a number of years I have intrigued by the idea that Architecture can be thought of as purely a material state with all that implies concerning phase changes, fluctuations in bulk intensive qualitative like temperature and the importance of singularities and flaws. This article with its discussion of sudden shifts in the crystalline structure cascading heterogeneously through portions of the material seems like an interesting idea for architectural research.
Material_Science, Science, !POST