The latest in home exteriors

Wood, steel, glass. Ho-hum. Materials deployed for the exterior of homes are growing increasingly adventurous. We asked Material ConneXion, an international consulting service that advises designers, companies and government agencies on design and construction, to explain some of the newest products to be used in residential projects. Emerging exterior materials include:

La Terre finishing plaster: This plaster incorporates waste materials, including ground recycled concrete from old construction. It’s strong and does not emit volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.

Super Therm: This ceramic-based coating is applied by spray or roller to reflect heat on exterior surfaces. It is relatively thin -- about the thickness of a business card -- and it reflects more than 95% of UV radiation.

L.I.C: Tiles or sheets are colored using an electrochemical process that thickens the naturally occurring chromium oxide on stainless steel. The clear oxide layer produces varied colors by interacting with light on the surface of the material.