The Parsons Materials Lab offers a variety of product and material collections to aid designers in writing healthier specs and making more informed material choices.
One resource within the research lab that is particularly important to architects and related building professionals is the Healthier Building Products Collection. It is a directory of material categories that contain products which have been vetted and chosen as healthier alternatives to materials typically used in the building industry. The materials listed disclose a minimum of 75% of ingredients by weight and do not contain chemicals that are detrimental to human health. The directory also factors in human health and environmental impacts throughout the product’s lifecycle.
WHEN TO USE THIS:
Consider visiting this collection before specifying a material within a major building product group such as flooring, wallboard, insulation, tiles, or countertops.
If you are looking for affordable materials to meet a project’s tight budget, select products with a yellow dot signifier. These products have been deemed as both healthy and affordable options.
To learn more about healthier materials, visit the Healthy Materials Learning Hub where you can find interesting research and articles, events, and course with continuing education credits.