For decades, the construction industry followed a familiar rhythm: design came first, materials followed. The pressing need for sustainable buildings has shattered this routine. Material selection is no longer an afterthought, but a critical decision made at the outset, with the potential to dramatically reduce a project's environmental footprint. This shift is even more crucial given the construction industry's appetite for raw materials – a staggering 3 billion tons extracted annually. To navigate this new landscape, digital material libraries and data-driven evaluation are emerging as powerful tools, creating a culture where materiality takes center stage to shape a more sustainable built environment.
Traditionally, material selection often occurred late in the design process, limiting its potential impact on a project's sustainability. However, this approach is rapidly changing. Kika Brockstedt, Co-Founder & CEO of Revalu explains, "The earlier this evaluation can happen, the higher the impact, meaning as a decision-maker and planner can reduce up to 75% of the embodied carbon, by comparing different scenarios early on". Delaying material evaluation minimizes impact and inflates costs, turning it from a driver of change into a mere reporting exercise.
Early material selection influences various aspects of a project, including cost, sustainability, and timeline. While cost remains a significant factor, there's a growing recognition of the long-term value certain materials can provide. This challenges the traditional assumption that nature-based options are always pricier and acknowledges that, as the production of alternative materials scales up, affordability will likely improve.
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Best Practices for Materials and Constructive TechniquesMoreover, the industry is beginning to reassess materials from a future value standpoint, considering what a material will be worth in the years to come and its impact on the surrounding environment. This forward-thinking approach is especially relevant as the possibility of taxation on CO2 emissions looms on the horizon, potentially reshaping the economic landscape of material selection.
The Role of Material Libraries
In this evolving context, material libraries have emerged as powerful catalysts for innovation in building design and construction. Recognizing the limitations of physical collections in a digital age, material libraries aim to integrate traditional repositories with contemporary design workflows, ensuring their continued relevance and effectiveness. These digital platforms serve multiple functions throughout the design phase and beyond.
Breaking into the construction market is no easy feat for new materials. The process is riddled with hurdles – extensive testing, certifications, and significant upfront investment for market entry, scaling, and sales. Material libraries act as a launchpad, offering a vetted form of validation for these newcomers. Inclusion within a dedicated collection lends them much-needed visibility and credibility, the essential first steps for discovery, testing, and ultimately, wider implementation in the building industry.
Architects, planners, and developers face a continuous challenge of balancing the need for innovative materials with efficient maintenance practices throughout the design and build process. This is further complicated by the varying "readiness levels" of new materials, making them suitable for different project types. To foster a culture of exploration, the industry needs readily available use cases, references, and examples that a material library can provide. “Ultimately, it's about knowledge sharing and fostering collaboration – by pushing each other, we can accelerate the adoption of a wider range of sustainable materials in our built environment”, Brockstedt proclaims.
Digitalizing Material Libraries
Recognizing the need for digital material libraries that align with modern processes, platforms like Revalu have emerged. "We have built Europe's largest database of environmental data for building materials, making it more comprehensive and accessible for the industry, with daily usage demonstrating a growing need", Brockstedt shares. Revalu builds tools that are efficient for the construction industry to make informed decisions while saving time and money.
The startup scouts the most innovative and emerging materials across Europe making them visible and helping scale their products by connecting them with industry. Revalu's material libraries are primarily used by architects, planners, and building owners for work and collaboration purposes, enabling them to find, select, share, and export material data efficiently. The platform also facilitates the publishing of industry-curated libraries, further enhancing visibility for emerging products and materials.
While carbon footprint has become a primary focus in material selection, Brockstedt cautions against "Carbon Tunnel Vision." The future of sustainable architecture will likely involve a more holistic approach, considering a broader range of environmental and social parameters. For instance, factors such as water consumption in water-scarce regions or the health impacts of materials in buildings are gaining importance.
In the quest for sustainable construction, the mantra is no longer "one size fits all." The key to effective material selection lies in transparency. Architects, builders, and owners need access to comprehensive environmental data to make informed decisions tailored to the specific context, location, and project requirements. By synchronizing material data with costs and other performance parameters, decision-makers can compare various scenarios and make informed compromises. Ultimately, achieving a sustainable built environment demands a delicate balancing act, where performance, cost, and a range of environmental metrics are all carefully weighed.
The Future of Material Selection
Finding the sweet spot between cost, performance, and sustainability in materials is a difficulty that can be tackled with upfront planning. By synchronizing material data with cost and performance metrics, decision-makers can compare scenarios early on to choose materials that meet their budget and sustainability goals, without sacrificing performance. Regulations and a growing focus on ESG investing favor sustainable buildings. Looking ahead, the focus is shifting from a building's operational efficiency to the embodied carbon in its materials.
The future of material selection is poised for significant change. The industry is moving towards a paradigm where form follows material, with choices becoming increasingly context-specific. This shift is driven by economic volatility, resource scarcity, and the need to re-evaluate existing building stocks and rely more on fast-growing, nature-based materials. Advancements in technology, particularly in digitalization and AI, are expected to revolutionize value chain processes. These technologies will likely facilitate more geo-based material selection, promoting the use of local materials and fostering local economies—a key driver for a sustainable built environment.
Brockstedt emphasizes the crucial role of data and transparency: "Transparency and data kind of go hand in hand, both are vital to accelerate progress especially within the area of sustainability." Her comment sparks a discussion around the ethics of material selection and sourcing in the construction industry, with decisions now having the power to be informed by data. Material libraries, bursting with innovative and eco-friendly materials, hold promise to transform buildings into ethical alternatives.
