The material intensity of mainstream building practices is unsustainable, with material efficiency gains nullified by rapid growth in construction volumes to fulfill unmet demand and aspirational consumption. There is an urgent need to we-materialize so people become an integral part of the material production and application value chain; and to re-materialize so that material flows emanate much more significantly from waste that is generated within local communities, or through the intelligent use of composite materials, aeration and other innovations that rely on the laws of physics.