Online registry of materials used in buildings

An online library of information on materials and products for registered buildings and infrastructure objects, providing insight on circularity, embodied carbon and toxicity.
Climate Change Mitigation Resource Use Advancing Net Zero Circular Economy

Problem addressed

The earth is a closed system within which there should be no waste. To ensure the continued availability of resources for future generations, we need to close the loop for all the materials and products used in the construction sector and transition to a circular economy. One of the barriers to reuse is the lack of data on the materials used within the build environment, therefore Madaster’s vision is to eliminate waste by giving materials identities with materials passports, ultimately reducing the amount of waste produced, reducing CO2 emissions and taking better care of our planet.

Solution overview

Madaster is an online platform that enables the registration, documentation, and exchange of material data related to buildings and infrastructure and collates information to create material passports. Materials, components, and products are provided with an identity, transforming them into a valuable resource that enables reuse and promotes the sustainable management of our built environment. In addition, by leveraging the large amounts of data connected to each building or infrastructure object, Madaster can produce a wide range of environmental and financial insights including circularity, detachability, whole life carbon, toxicity, and residual value.

Users input a BIM/IFC file or an Excel sheet of asset data into the platform. The platform then enriches this data by matching the materials and products in the asset with data from one of Madaster’s many connected databases. These include EPD information that provides a range of environmental insights. From there the platform has several outputs and dashboarding functionalities that include whole life carbon, circularity index score, detachability information, and a mass and material overview. This information can be exported as a material or product passport, and these can be produced in a range of details and scales. This information can also be formatted to meet various regulations and reports depending on the requirements in each region.

Madaster has been developed to manage large quantities of data from a range of sources whilst still being fully auditable. All the information used and provided by the platform can be tracked and referenced. This increases and encourages transparency and verification.

Manufacturers, design and construction teams, developers, and asset owners can all make more informed decisions using Madaster as a centralised, easily accessible and trusted source of information.

Madaster are currently focused on identifying ‘Pioneer’, organisations that believe in what Madaster is trying to achieve and want to be at the forefront of implementing circularity and materials passports in the built environment by committing to a 2-year programme of collaboration. Full subscription-based licences will be available from mid-2024

Company name

Madaster

UK availability

Yes

Solution launch date

2017

Links

Read more

Case study

British Land has been awarded an innovation credit by the Building Research Establishment for the UK’s first large-scale use of a materials passport provided by Madaster, for their 1 Broadgate development.

At the start of 2021, together with architects GXN, Madaster started work with British Land to upload and maintain their new 1 Broadgate development on the Madaster platform.

Throughout the development, the project team has been updating Madaster with information on the quality, origin and location of materials and products that will be used in the structure, façade and MEP of the building, thereby creating its materials passport. By the time the project is completed – scheduled for 2025 – A valuable set of data will have been produced, which will give the building an increased value and much greater potential for reuse in the future.

1 Broadgate is a large scale, complex development in the centre of London. The project illustrates Madasters usability and readiness for the UK market and demonstrates the viability of the platform for UK use.

This page presents data, evidence, and solutions that are provided by our partners and members and should therefore not be attributed to UKGBC. While we showcase these solutions for inspiration, to build consensus, and create momentum for climate action, UKGBC does not offer commercial endorsement of individual solutions. If you would like to quote something from this page, or more information, please contact our Communications team at media@ukgbc.org.

Related