Greengaged

As part of Materials Day at this year’s greengaged event we ran a survey to find out a little bit more about designers favourite materials. Over fifty people responded nominating a wide range of materials including wood, concrete, plastics and textiles.

Wood turns out to be by far the most popular material to work with, a favourite with 40% of respondents. Bricks and stone are in joint second place with the metals at 13%. Glass, concrete, plastics, paper, textiles and, finally, lime and fired clay were also nominated as favourites amongst our respondents.

“[Green oak] is a pleasure to work with, looks beautiful when finished, and is as environmentally sound and carbon-favourable as can possibly be.”

Comparing this to the materials that designers actually use most often, the range and spread of materials is by and large the same as for the materials most enjoyable to work with. Whether this because designers are able to influence the choice of material they use or designers develop a relationship with the materials they work with most frequently, is not clear from the results.

The most important qualities of ‘favourite’ materials are by far are look and feel, which are cited by fully 58% of respondents. Other important qualities are sustainability, ease to shape, durability, natural feel and strength. Qualities less frequently cited include local sourcing, weight, availability and inherent physical properties. Cost was cited least frequently of all.

When it comes to the materials most often used, there is a noticeable change in the dominant criterion for material selection. Cost in particular becomes much more prominent. Some respondents also indicated that trade habits and external prescription determine the choice of their most frequently used material. This could for example be the case for designers following a rigid client brief, or builders working on projects in conservation areas where the allowable techniques and materials might be prescribed by rules and regulations. Without these external constraints a material appears to be selected first and foremost for its aesthetic contribution to the finished design.

“Metal profiled cladding - much of our work is for simple 'sheds' that require cost efficient simple solutions.”

The good news is that sustainability is an important consideration for most respondents when selecting materials. Cost constraints and client requirements were the primary reasons for not evaluating a material’s sustainable credentials.

“… contractors and clients often recommend preferred materials and suppliers. Sometimes I don't get much of a choice about what I use because of client preferences, budgets, availability. My fellow designers and I would often prefer to use more sustainable materials but don't get the option...”

Respondents ranked trade press, the Internet, trade fairs and information provided by material suppliers as the most prominent sources for information on new materials. Designers are therefore reliant on the information published by manufacturers in order to make their choice. At the greengaged Materials Day, participants highlighted the difficulty in distinguishing between greenwash and materials with a genuinely low-environmental impact and were often frustrated by conflicting information about on products disseminated by different sources.

“We are approached with many new materials, which we rigorously check to understand their credentials, we cross reference PR stories, and when a project suggests a new material type, we look for it online through current suppliers, and through general research.”

This raises the question of how designers can make informed decisions about which material is most appropriate for a given project. Is there a need for a tool to assist designers, both in terms of environmental impact but also in making the business case to clients? How should industry, manufacturers, suppliers and designers respond to the call for better information about the products they use and supply?

The debate continues....