LiU's material library, the Material Realisation Laboratory (MRL), is most likely unique of its kind in Sweden. Here, inside the A Building on Campus Valla, over 1500 different materials are gathered – all carefully sorted, categorized and labelled.
It´s a place where visitors can get a sense of different materials through their tactile and visual senses as well as learn more about them. MRL is available to everyone who studies at LiU. Part of its purpose is to serve as a meeting point, a place to discuss materials and material choices. Its also works as a classroom, where teaching and workshops are held.
Best on paper – not always the best
When developing new products, it is important to have good material knowledge. Knowing how a material feels should not be underestimated. David Eklöf says that it is quite common that students changes their minds and chooses a different material for their project, after a visit to MRL.
"It's very much about how you experience the materials. You can't get information about that from a screen. The experience of the materials is very strong when you come here. It can be a material that has very good properties, but feels very off-putting when you get it in your hand," he says.
According to him, LiU's material library is unique in its kind.
"I don't know of any other material library in Sweden that is linked to a university. When we started here, we visited some that had material rooms, but not at all in the same way."
According to David Eklöf, thousands of students pass through the premises every year. Those who have good knowledge of materials when they start to work have a head start , he believes.
"They have a great advantage over other universities, that they have actually experienced materials on site in a completely different way than many others have."
