Materials Hub eliminates barriers to ethical sourcing across AEC firms, owners, and manufacturers  Acelab announces the launch of its impactful Design for Freedom Tracking solution within the Materials Hub platform, creating the industry’s first AI-powered system that transforms ethical sourcing from aspiration to reality for architecture and design professionals of all levels. (Courtesy Acelab) Making the Invisible Visible: A new era in Ethical Material selection The Materials Hub platform directly addresses the urgent need for responsible building materials by seamlessly integrating Design for Freedom principles into everyday workflows, making ethical considerations impossible to overlook. Acelab executives Vardhan Mehta and Dave Lemont unveiled this transformative technology at the fourth Annual Design for Freedom Summit on March 27 held at Grace Farms in New Canaan, Connecticut. “Our partnership with Acelab and the launch of the Materials Hub is a groundbreaking step in our shared commitment to eliminate forced and child labor from the building materials supply chain,” said Sharon Prince, CEO and founder of Grace Farms Foundation. “Together, we are addressing a critical challenge to advancing ethical supply chains by enabling design professionals to source materials that are less at risk of labor exploitation. By making ethical material selection accessible and practical for architects and designers everywhere, we’re creating meaningful industry-wide change toward a more humane built environment.” “The industry has been held back by disconnected, labor-intensive processes that require firms to manage complex spreadsheets and conduct time-consuming research to verify ethical compliance,” said Vardhan Mehta, cofounder and CEO of Acelab. “Our AI-powered solution bridges the critical gap between the 10 percent of the A&D industry that understands forced labor risks and the 90 percent that needs actionable guidance. Materials Hub makes the invisible visible, ensuring that ethical considerations are displayed alongside performance, cost, and aesthetic decisions—creating a complete picture that transforms how materials are selected.” (Courtesy Acelab) Seamless workflow integration: from complex to intuitive The intuitive Design for Freedom tracking system automatically integrates with project initialization, featuring: Intelligent templates with built-in Design for Freedom reporting standards Real-time certification data enabling instant ethical filtering Ready-to-implement product category schedules aligned with Design for Freedom principles AI-powered risk assessment that flags high-risk locations and materials This frictionless approach eliminates the traditional barriers that have prevented widespread adoption, replacing manual processes that required professionals to: Juggle multiple disconnected spreadsheets Conduct time-intensive product code research Navigate complex variables to determine ethical compliance “Materials Hub places ethical labor considerations directly alongside performance and sustainability metrics, making it impossible to evaluate materials without seeing the full picture of their human impact,” Mehta emphasized. “We’ve translated complex supply chain data into clear, actionable insights through our AI platform, democratizing access to this critical information for all design professionals—not just specialists.” (Courtesy Acelab) Democratizing ethical design across the industry “By eliminating the friction points that have traditionally limited participation in Design for Freedom, Acelab is transforming ethical sourcing from a specialized program into an industry standard,” said Dave Lemont, Acelab’s executive chairman and former CEO of Revit. “Our platform demonstrates the tangible business advantages of ethical materials—showing how DFF guidelines benefit not only vulnerable workers but also strengthen project timelines, risk management, and client relationships.” Acelab’s groundbreaking technology delivers three transformative market solutions: Eliminates practical barriers to ethical material selection Creates unprecedented access to ethical sourcing tools for firms of all sizes Accelerates industry-wide adoption of ethical standards through intuitive technology “By partnering with industry leaders to aggregate and validate ethical supply chain data, we’re creating unprecedented transparency in material selection,” said Mehta. “Materials Hub ensures that even smaller practices without dedicated sustainability teams can confidently specify materials aligned with Design for Freedom principles, leveling the playing field across the industry.” Nora Rizzo, Ethical Materials director at Grace Farms, noted: “What Acelab has created is a game-changer for practitioners at the forefront of material selection. Before Materials Hub, incorporating ethical considerations required extensive knowledge, research, and resources that most firms simply couldn’t access. Now, every architect, designer, and owner can make informed decisions about forced labor risks as they evaluate products holistically. This open-source technology transforms what was once an overwhelming challenge into an integral part of our daily workflow.” Note: Acelab’s Materials Hub platform also integrates with other key sustainability initiatives including the AIA Materials Pledge and mindful MATERIALS Common Materials Framework, creating a comprehensive platform for holistic, ethical design practices. About Acelab: Materials Hub is an all-in-one platform empowering architecture and design firms to seamlessly research, select, and document material decisions. It centralizes knowledge, optimizes research with AI-powered search, streamlines decision-making through improved collaboration, and simplifies documentation through automation. Learn more at acelabusa.com. About Grace Farms: Grace Farms is a cultural and humanitarian center in New Canaan, Connecticut that brings together people across sectors to explore nature, arts, justice, community, and faith at the SANAA-designed River building, on 80 acres of publicly accessible natural landscape. Its humanitarian work to end modern slavery and foster more grace and peace in the local and global community includes leading the Design for Freedom movement. Launched in 2020 by Grace Farms’s CEO and founder Sharon Prince, Design for Freedom reimagines architecture by raising awareness and inspiring responses to disrupt forced labor in the building materials supply chain. The Design for Freedom Working Group comprises more than 100 leaders who together are spearheading a radical paradigm shift and mobilizing the full ecosystem of the built environment. This collaborative approach to comprehensively address humanitarian issues and generate new outcomes is reflected across all the initiatives and spaces of Grace Farms. Learn more at gracefarms.org.