Materials of construction will exert a greater influence on cultural developments on all continents than in the past, meaning that research in materials science will have to be given a high interdisciplinary priority in countries with the right scientific and technological background. Particularly in the case of this developing area, science will have to emerge from its classical compartmentalization because further progress will require joint consideration of chemical, physical, and where appropriate biological aspects, while paying due attention to the creative scope of engineering. It will become more important than ever to combine science and engineering and to derive an innovative materials architecture from the more contemplative discipline of materials science.