A program started by Google aims to help owners and designers choose healthier materials for building products.
One of the challenges to choosing materials for a healthy indoor environment is unraveling the ingredient profile of a given product through a complex supply chain. Material manufacturers may be reluctant reveal which raw materials they use in formulating their products for fear of disclosing trade secrets, for example.
The Google-designed Portico platform features a product database organized by manufacturer, product category, and whether the product meets LEED and Living Building Challenge standards. Google also devised a numerical scoring metric according to how well the manufacturer discloses ingredients.
Google, as enormous consumer of building materials, has the market clout to prompt manufacturers to share this information. Google wants others to participate in building and refining Portico and intends to share this information broadly in hopes of improving indoor environmental quality globally. In 2016, Perkins + Will; Durst Organization, a developer; Harvard University; and the HomeFree Affordable Housing Cohort joined Portico.
Related Stories
Products and Materials | Aug 8, 2024
EPA issues $160 million in grants for clean manufacturing of steel, other construction materials
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will provide 38 grant recipients with nearly $160 million to support efforts to report and reduce climate pollution from the manufacturing of construction materials and products.
Green | Aug 7, 2024
Major cities worldwide set building performance standards
Cities around the world are setting building performance standards (BPS) as a key measure to cut emissions and meet climate targets, according to a report from JLL.
Codes and Standards | Aug 6, 2024
New tool helps with selection, installation of heat pump water heaters
A new web-based tool by the Department of Energy offers comprehensive information about how to size, select, and install electric heat pump water heaters (HPWHs).
Regulations | Aug 4, 2024
Diversity rules largely ignored on Boston construction projects
Not a single construction project in Boston over the past four years has met all the rules intended to diversify the construction industry and increase the number of city residents working on construction sites, according to a report in the Boston Globe.
MFPRO+ News | Aug 1, 2024
Canada tries massive incentive program to spur new multifamily housing construction
Canada has taken the unprecedented step of offering billions in infrastructure funds to communities in return for eliminating single-family housing zoning.
MFPRO+ New Projects | Jul 31, 2024
Shipping containers converted into attractive, affordable multifamily housing in L.A.
In the Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles, a new affordable multifamily housing project using shipping containers resulted in 24 micro-units for formerly unhoused residents. The containers were acquired from a nearby port and converted into housing units at a factory.
Geothermal Technology | Jul 29, 2024
Rochester, Minn., plans extensive geothermal network
The city of Rochester, Minn., home of the famed Mayo Clinic, is going big on geothermal networks. The city is constructing Thermal Energy Networks (TENs) that consist of ambient pipe loops connecting multiple buildings and delivering thermal heating and cooling energy via water-source heat pumps.
Smart Buildings | Jul 25, 2024
A Swiss startup devises an intelligent photovoltaic façade that tracks and moves with the sun
Zurich Soft Robotics says Solskin can reduce building energy consumption by up to 80% while producing up to 40% more electricity than comparable façade systems.
Codes and Standards | Jul 25, 2024
GSA and DOE select technologies to evaluate for commercial building decarbonization
The General Services Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy have selected 17 innovative building technologies to evaluate in real-world settings throughout GSA’s real estate portfolio.
Office Buildings | Jul 22, 2024
U.S. commercial foreclosures increased 48% in June from last year
The commercial building sector continues to be under financial pressure as foreclosures nationwide increased 48% in June compared to June 2023, according to ATTOM, a real estate data analysis firm.
