Living in a Materials World Fellowship
Living in a Materials World:
The Better Materials Toolkit
Explore the Tools: An Equity Guide + A Resource Book: “Mapping Equity”
Theresa (left, front) demonstrating her Healthy Materials Charrette cards to EskewDumezRipple studio members.
For architects and designers, materials are never just finishes. They shape performance, influence human health, and carry impacts far beyond the spaces we design.
With The Better Materials Toolkit, EskewDumezRipple’s 2024–2025 Research Fellow Theresa Mark (now an Emerging Designer at Perkins Eastman) translated a year of research into a practical, accessible guide for making better material decisions in everyday practice.
Explore the full Better Materials Toolkit
and supporting resources here.
Developed through the firm’s “Living in a Materials World” Fellowship, the toolkit builds on the AIA Materials Pledge (of which EskewDumezRipple has been a signatory firm since 2024) and its five impact categories—human health, social health and equity, ecosystem health, climate health, and circular economy. But more importantly, it addresses the gap between intention and implementation: how do we actually apply these ideas in real projects?
This research responds with clarity and structure.
Organized around three core questions:
What do I need to know?
What do I need to do?
What do I need to say?
The toolkit helps designers move from awareness to action to advocacy. It also expands the conversation through a fourth focus on sensory equity, exploring how material choices shape neuro-inclusive environments.
Throughout the work, Theresa connects complex material challenges to tangible tools—supporting both firm-wide strategies and project-level decisions. From product selection frameworks to conversation guides, the toolkit reflects an approach grounded in collaboration, curiosity, and continuous improvement.
From Research to Practice
The Better Materials Toolkit is not a single document, but a collection of interconnected resources designed to support teams at every stage of the process:
Digital Book
A comprehensive guide outlining the research, frameworks, and strategies behind better material selection.
Material Library Standards
A Good / Better / Best system to help teams evaluate and prioritize healthier, more equitable, and lower-impact materials.
Link
Healthy Materials Charrette
A facilitated process that brings project teams together to set material goals, evaluate options, and align decisions early.
Link
Impact Categories Worksheet & Discussion Guide
A structured tool to help teams understand and apply the AIA Materials Pledge’s core impact categories across their projects.
Link
Sensory Equity: Material Consideration Guide
Guidance for integrating neuro-inclusive design thinking into material selection, recognizing how materials shape sensory experience.
Link
Together, these resources create a shared language and workflow—making it easier for teams to move from abstract goals to measurable change.
Materials Charette “card” for determining best wood flooring materials
A Continuing Effort
This work captures a moment in an ongoing process. As tools evolve and industry standards shift, so will our approach to materials.
The foundation is clear: better outcomes begin with better questions, better tools, and a commitment to learning together.
Meet the Fellow
Theresa Mark, our research fellow for the 2024-2025 year and current Emerging Designer at Perkins Eastman, joined our firm after completing her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Theresa was charged with exploring this topic as a part of our research fellowship program. Read more about the role of the fellow here.
Connect via LinkedIn here.