Nanotechnology is widely regarded as one of the twenty-first century's key technologies, and its economic importance is sharply on the rise. In architecture and the construction industry it has potentials that are already usable today, especially the coating of surfaces to lend them functional characteristics such as increased tensile strength, self-cleaning capacity, fire resistance, and others. Additives based on nanomaterials make common materials lighter, more permeable, and more resistant to wear. Nanomaterials are not only extremely useful for roofs and facades; they also expand design possibilities for interior and exterior rooms and spaces. Nano-insulating materials open up new possibilities for ecologically oriented architects.
