Form suppresses material, and tends to either idealize architectural materials or dematerialize architecture altogether. In response, we propose a fundamental shift from material – that which is sublimated or invested with symbolic power – to matter – that which simply is. This distinction between symbolic material and raw matter is particularly urgent given the increasing importance of sustainability in contemporary design. The very phrase “green design” already reveals that sustainability today is as often about symbolism or metaphor (if not branding) as about genuinely responsible consumption of resources. While not overtly “green,” our formless advocates a new creativity and freedom in the use of materials. We embrace the raw, the unprocessed, the unstable, the ephemeral, and the degradable. Most of all, our formless seeks to exploit found conditions, to use what already exists. A material like bamboo may scream sustainable, but as often as not it is shipped halfway around the world to the construction site. We would rather build with the dust, dirt, and gravel already there. One might look sustainable, but which is the more responsible use of resources in the long run?