REAL is a new series of publications that investigates technology and material development to provide architects and designers with concrete ideas for their designs.This first edition of the New REAL series is based on an interview by Ulrich Knaack with Marcel Bilow, aka Dr. Bucky Lab. While the chapters run from past to future, from first steps to the big picture, the book is filled with little anecdotes to allow a look behind the scenes of the Bucky Lab.In the Bucky Lab and the Bucky Lab Seminars the combination of architecture and building technology is brought to a higher level. Architecture students develop and build prototypes of their projects and do research on how to design an innovative sustainable building. The design's materials and structural performance are both virtually and physically tested. The results are used as feedback to optimize the design.