Together with space and light, materials help to determine the character of a building and create architecture. The phenomenon of seeking to attract attention to a structure had its origins in the Modern Movement, when new materials were introduced and transparency became an important aspect of design; and in the 1960s, attempts to extend load-bearing capacities and dimensional limits resulted in a greater dematerialization of architecture. Energy came to assume some of the functions of materials and to replace mass.Although transparency still exercises a great fascination today, it has been relativized by modern energy and climatic considerations. The main criteria for the selection of materials are perception, technical performance, functional attributes, and ecological and economic aspects. Roughly 90 per cent of the information stimuli to which man is exposed are based on the sense of sight. Not surprisingly, therefore, visual aspects are the initial criterion for choosing materials in architecture.