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Kitchen and Bath Design: Materials and Specification Resources

Materials Research Tips

Take your research into materials one step further--ask not only what a material is made of, but also:

Where in the world does it come from?  What process was used to extract it (or how it is grown)?  Who are the people effected by its extraction and manufacturing?  What coatings, dyes or finishes were used on it?  How does it effect the environment where it is applied?  How long is its life span?  Etc... 

When you need to specify a sustainable material: Material Connexion Library

NYSID subscribes to the Material Connexion Digital Library, a unique resource loaded with information about each material's properties, sustainability, life cycle, processing, and much more; below is a sample material profile.  Access to the database is free from library computers, and creating a personal account via the button in the top right corner of their website will allow you access from any computer.   Visits can also be made to Material Connexion here in NYC to view their library materials in person.

An example of a material profile from their library:  

For questions about a material in hand

If you are searching a material not listed in a database, try these steps to figure out its manufacturing and sustainability profiles:

  • Call the manufacturer, if known
  • Search for articles about the manufacturer or product 
  • Search for a Life Cycle Assessment of the material, or even better an EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
  • Search for the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet); these might provide relevant information about the product. The organization that produces them, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Hazard Association), has a website that also links to their publications which might be helpful for materials research, about toxins presented in certain environments or by certain products.

Materia Innovative Materials Database

Based in the Netherlands, Materia is a kind of European Material Connexion.  On their site you can browse in channels such as "Coatings", "Biobased", "Healing Environment" and "Smart Materials", and filter by categories such as"Translucence", "Weight", "Scratch Resistance", etc. 

Materia's site also has articles about innovative new materials, and a free weekly email newsletter.

GreenSpec from the Building Green Suite

As part of NYSID's subscription to Building Green (which we'll discuss more under the Case Studies tab), you have access to GreenSpec, their materials database.  As you can see below, materials can be filtered by category (type or application), green attributes, and LEED credits.  They also have featured products on the GreenSpec landing page, and a blog with articles.