Relaunch: Why we rebuilt Materius
- Nina Albrecht
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
The new Materius platform has been online since August 31st. From the outside, the most noticeable change is the new design. However, the greater part of the work lies beneath the surface: in the database and the verification logic. The best way to explain why we focused on this is by looking at what we learned in real-world construction projects over the past year.
Five insights from a year of practice
We used the platform in ongoing projects last year and gathered feedback together with sustainability consultants, general contractors, manufacturers, construction managers, and certification bodies. Five key points consistently emerged as the foundation for everything we've changed.
The need is clearly there.
All building materials in a project must be covered with up-to-date data – at every stage of the construction process.
Decisions must be comprehensible at all times.
The solution must accompany the entire construction process continuously – not just at specific points.
We develop quickly based on your feedback and requirements – and communicate transparently about what we are working on.
Point 1 was never in question. Anyone seeking a building certificate today – Minergie-ECO, SNBS, or SGNI – must prove that the installed products meet the requirements. In practice, this means thousands of building products, manually checked, distributed across data sheets, email correspondence, and parallel Excel spreadsheets. In Switzerland, this process consumes around 75 million Swiss francs annually in testing costs.
Points 2 through 5 were particularly interesting. They don't describe a missing feature, but rather a requirement for the underlying foundation. That's precisely why the relaunch wasn't just a fresh coat of paint, but a complete overhaul.
What we built from it
Insight 2: a database that grows with the user.
A material test is only as good as the data it's based on. And data collected at the start of a project is no longer up-to-date during the execution phase. Therefore, we completely redesigned our data acquisition process.
Today, over 30,000 building products from around 150 manufacturers are listed, and the number grows weekly. The products are not simply a list of product names, but rather extracted, structured, and compared based on more than 60 sustainability attributes. This is powered by our own data pipeline: it collects product data sheets and other information from manufacturers' websites, extracts it, and integrates it into a standardized structure. This is supplemented by official sources such as Ecobau, the Lignum list, the Stiftung Farbe (Color Foundation), the Swiss Energy Label, and VOC and biocide databases.
The crucial factor is the underlying operation: Updates now run regularly. The database no longer becomes outdated between project phases.
And if a product is missing – which can happen with specialty products – there are two options: You can upload datasheets or entire product lists yourself, or you can let us know briefly. New manufacturers are added within 48 hours.
From insight 3: Traceability as a basic principle
For certification, the result alone isn't enough. It must still be justifiable months later – to the client, the certification body, and within the team itself. Therefore, we didn't add traceability as an extra feature, but integrated it into the core logic.
The testing logic maps the sustainability standards' rules verbatim into code: product categories, product characteristics, project application, and entire systems. We developed it in collaboration with sustainability experts and certification bodies. This is the difference between a database and a test – only when the requirements are digitally and accurately represented can testing be automated.
In everyday life, you can see this in three places:
The conformity indicator shows at a glance whether a product in this project is compliant, conditionally compliant or non-compliant – including an explanation of which requirement is met or missed.
Transparent origin: The source of each data point is clearly visible.
Your own audit trail: You can add or correct missing properties yourself. Every change is traceable and subsequently available in all your projects – no work has to be done twice.
From insight 4: consistently rather than sporadically
Materials testing is not a single step, but extends from the tendering process to submission. We have therefore redesigned the interface to reflect the actual workflow: product registration, compliance testing, and submission of documentation.
In addition, there are tools for intermediate steps that would otherwise be time-consuming – such as text modules for manufacturer inquiries or the completeness check via the BKP structure. Finally, the documentation can be exported directly to the certification body.
From insight 5: logic continues to learn
The last point is less of a feature and more of a methodology. If a specialist shows us how a product could have been assigned, the case is settled – not just for that one project, but for all future ones. With each piece of feedback, the review becomes a little more complete.
Therefore, we will continue to communicate transparently about what we are working on.
To support the entire construction process even more seamlessly, the following features and enhancements are currently on our roadmap:
Email text modules (e.g. for targeted manufacturer inquiries)
Entrepreneur portal (So that entrepreneurs can also use the material testing service.)
Specific testing rules (such as the 80/20 rule for concrete and the handling of exceptions)
Extended completeness check
Construction site tour prototype (for the execution phase)
Direct export to the label platforms
What has remained the same
The underlying idea is the same as on day one: the selection, testing, and documentation of sustainable building products belong in one place – throughout the entire construction process. This ensures that the building is completed and meets sustainability requirements.
Would you like to see how this looks on one of your projects? Write to us at info@materius.app – we'd be happy to show you a short demo.
Looking back: Celebrating together with the industry
On Wednesday, September 2nd, we celebrated the relaunch with around 40 guests from sustainability consultancies, general contractors, manufacturers, engineering firms, and certification bodies. Besides the demo of the new platform, the main focus was on the future direction of materials testing – and we received a great deal of valuable feedback. This feedback will be incorporated into the next phase of development.
Thanks to everyone who was there!
