Snail poo paper, glowing fibre or fabrics made of metal: these are just some of the hundreds of material samples that can be found in the Library of Materials, located at Prague’s district of Břevnov. The aim of MatériO is to serve as an inspiration for students, designers and other creative professions. They can either search its online database or come to the library to be able to touch the samples stacked on its shelves, Radio Praha writes.

"In the online database there are about 7,500 samples or ID cards of materials. Here in Prague we have approximately 2,000 materials which are divided into ten groups according to the relevant material family. We have fabrics, metals and stones and then we have composites, papers, wood, glass, ceramics, polymers and a group named others, where we put everything from nature or some material curiosities....The flagship library is in Paris and then there is one in Brussels and Prague..."

“There are many tendencies when it comes to material trends. I can highlight for instance quick rise of nanotechnologies and smart textiles, as well as variable technologies. On the other hand of course environmentally friendly materials and return to nature and craftsmanship. So these are the new trends nowadays", Director of the Library Pavl9na Jochcov8 says. Find out more.