Book excerpt: The current material customer of translucent building materials Translucent materials give architects far more possibilities to exploit the sensual interplay of light and the fascination of interior-exterior interaction than plain glass, a fact proved by their increasing application. Traditionally, stretched paper, finely-cut stone, or stained glass were used to create mood and atmosphere. These are now giving way to a new generation of innovative materials - composite glass, synthetic panels, membranes and perforated metals.