Owners & developers
Establish the outcomes that matter and bring better questions, options and expertise into the project while decisions can still be shaped.
How tect works
tect makes experienced manufacturer expertise easier to reach, so better project choices can be made earlier.
It is a direct-connection platform, a preparation program for manufacturer experts and a framework for bringing useful product knowledge into projects earlier.
connectsOwnersClarify outcomes
Project teamsLead decisions
ManufacturersShare expertise
Not another product database
Not an automated recommendation engine
A direct path to the people behind the products
01Who participates
One model, distinct roles
Everyone contributes something different, and professional responsibility remains where it belongs.
tect does not ask manufacturers to direct the project or ask project teams to surrender their judgment. It creates a clearer way for relevant knowledge to enter the conversation when it can still improve understanding.
Project teams
Retain professional responsibility while gaining direct access to product-category knowledge that can strengthen evaluation and coordination.
Manufacturers
Contribute practical knowledge through qualified people who are prepared to support the project rather than lead with a sales pitch.
tect
Makes the connection easier, prepares participating experts and supports a more collaborative path to better-informed project decisions.
02Direct connection
The tectApp™
Project teams find the right person directly, without completing a questionnaire or entering a lead funnel.
Browse the full company directory or filter by product category. Add the project city, and tect identifies the expert assigned to that territory.
Each profile provides contact choices and the product links and resources that expert believes will be most useful.
Free for project teams. Always.
No subscription, fee or required sign-up.
- 01
Browse
View every participating company or narrow the directory by CSI division and product category.
- 02
Locate
Enter the project city to identify the expert whose service territory includes that location.
- 03
Review
Open the expert profile to see contact choices, products and the resources that person has selected.
- 04
Connect
Reach the expert by direct email, anonymous email or phone, without an intermediary.
03A people-first directory
The people behind the products
tect makes experienced product-category experts easier to identify and reach.
Product information is already abundant. What is harder to access is the experience that gives that information context: what matters, what is commonly misunderstood and what questions should be considered before a choice is made.
The expert profile makes that person visible and accessible while allowing the expert to curate the technical data, samples, BIM files, case studies and other resources most frequently needed by project teams.
04Better preparation
The tectAcademy™
Making experts accessible is only the first step. tectAcademy prepares them to contribute effectively.
A direct connection creates value only when the conversation is useful.
tectAcademy helps participating manufacturer teams understand how to support project decisions, respect the project team’s process and contribute without turning the exchange into a sales call.
01
Understand how project teams make decisions
02
Lead with support rather than product promotion
03
Recognize when expertise can be useful early
04
Build relevance through trust and responsiveness
05A community investing in change
More than a directory listing
Participating manufacturers are helping lead a shift from selling products to serving project teams.
These manufacturers are investing in a more useful way to engage the industry. They are making experienced people easier to reach and preparing them to provide candid, technically grounded guidance without unnecessary sales pressure.
That guidance may include product benefits, but it should also address limitations, tradeoffs, alternatives and the questions a project team should consider before making a decision.
The tect participation standard
We are expanding across product categories and regions selectively, not simply assembling a longer list of sales representatives.
- Lead with service before sales
- Make experienced experts directly accessible
- Discuss benefits, limitations and tradeoffs candidly
- Respect the project team’s roles and decisions
- Complete tectAcademy preparation
- Respond reliably and without unnecessary sales pressure
Recognizing those who helped begin the change
Renewing early participants are recognized as Founding Manufacturers: companies that supported this model before its full network effect had been established.
06The purpose of earlier access
From connection to better outcomes
The goal is not simply to create more connections. It is to accelerate the industry’s progress toward better project outcomes.
Manufacturers hold substantial practical knowledge about materials, systems, performance and installation. Too often, that expertise remains difficult to reach or enters the project after important choices have already been made.
tect helps make that knowledge available earlier, when invited by project teams and while meaningful alternatives remain open. The experts support the project team’s decision-making in service of the outcomes that owners, occupants and communities will ultimately depend upon.
01Durability & service life
02Life safety & resilience
03Affordability & lifecycle value
04Energy & resource efficiency
05Indoor environmental health
06Constructability & compatibility
07Maintenance & long-term performance
No manufacturer, platform or individual expert can guarantee a better building. But earlier access to prepared, experienced people improves the conditions under which better-informed decisions can be made.
07Manufacturer-integrated project delivery
A collective path forward
Earlier manufacturer expertise gives project teams more context while meaningful alternatives remain available.
Manufacturer-integrated project delivery brings product-category knowledge into the project before decisions harden. It does not transfer design authority, replace consultants or allow manufacturers to dictate specifications.
It gives the project team better access to practical knowledge about performance, compatibility, installation, availability and long-term consequences. In that sense, manufacturers help enable better project delivery by making their experience useful at the right time.
What tect does not replace
- The owner’s priorities
- The architect’s professional judgment
- The engineer’s technical responsibility
- The contractor’s means and methods
- The project team’s decision process
08Access & cost
A simple distinction
Project teams use tect for free. Manufacturers fund the network. Owner services are scoped separately.
Free. Always.
Browse, filter, review profiles and contact participating experts without a subscription, fee or required sign-up.
Company participation
Manufacturers fund their presence, company-wide Academy access and participation in the tect community.
Scoped to the need
earth’smart advisory, strategic support or broader project services are defined around the owner’s circumstances and objectives.
The next step depends on your role