10.03.2011

A Nutrition Label for Building Products

Fast Company

Ariel Schwartz

We know what ingredients are in many of the products we buy, but often have no idea what the buildings we spend our lives in are made of. The Building Product Transparency Project is trying to change that.

Transparency is becoming increasingly important for a number of industries; you probably have some idea about the ingredients in your food, and thanks to sites like GoodGuide, your electronics, cleaning products, and clothing. But the building products industry remains disturbingly opaque. You have no idea what your house or office is made of. Since we spend so much of our time indoors, shouldn't we have a better idea of what, exactly, we're being exposed to? The Building Product Transparency Project, a partnership between design firm Perkins+Will and architectural product company Construction Specialties, is planning to shed a little light on the industry.