The Digital Material Library is a learning platform designed to support both education and practice. It serves two primary functions: (1) as a sustainable materials database for product specifications, and (2) as an educational resource for teaching course modules and lab tutorials focused on life cycle environmental and health assessments of interior products and building materials. 

The platform promotes active learning for students and supports industry professionals seeking to advance sustainable design practices. It includes a comprehensive database of product brands from local manufacturers and suppliers, allowing users to compare and specify materials—such as walls, flooring, ceilings,, and countertops—using a holistic sustainability framework developed by the project team.

This initiative aligns with the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) standards, particularly Standard 13: Products and Materials, ensuring that students develop the skills and knowledge required to appropriately select and apply manufactured products and custom-designed elements within design solutions, including the specification of sustainable products.

The project also partially aligns with CIDA Standard 14: Environmental Systems and Human Well-Being, by fostering awareness of the environmental impacts of design decisions, and further supports broader faculty scholarly teaching initiatives.

Visit the Systems Labs and Modules teaching  page to learn more about content integration into course learning outcomes.

The Material Library explores innovative solutions across seven key sustainability areas: enhancing performance through durable, energy-efficient designs, utilizing renewable materials, reducing embodied carbon, minimizing waste, eliminating toxins, and promoting circularity through reuse and recycling strategies. As we continue to grow our inventory, a variety of sustainable material specifications and resources will become publicly available for designers. These include benchmarking tools and product comparative data aligned with sustainability standards. 

Visit the Product Sustainability Framework page linked here to learn more about each of the seven key sustainability areas highlighted in the framework.

This Material Library Project is co-funded by the Provost’s Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grants (TLEG) 2024/25 and Arts Faculty Awards - (Faculty Startup Funds + Undergraduate Student Assistance).