by Brianna Crandall — October 31, 2016 — Global independent safety science and standards company Underwriters Laboratories (UL) recently introduced the SPOT database, a time-saving Web-based product sustainability information tool intended to facilitate the selection of credible green products and enable the building design community to apply that information into building information modeling (BIM) project designs.
Powered by UL, the SPOT database is the next generation of the product search tool GreenWizard, a well-known product selection platform dedicated to enabling architects, engineers, and contractors to identify greener products for their projects that was acquired by UL in 2016. The SPOT database will build upon that legacy by linking design applications with product information in the database.
Currently featuring more than 40,000 products, the SPOT database will be a first-of-its-kind tool for architects, designers and specifiers to identify products by sustainable attributes, MasterFormat product codes, and building rating system credits such as LEED v4 and the WELL Building Standard. To enhance the mobile experience, UL’s SPOT app is available from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Additionally, UL is developing an add-in that will enable AutoDesk Revit users to access product data from SPOT and assign it directly to their project. This will provide what UL says is unprecedented visibility into trusted green product information, enabling greater accuracy in green building reporting and certification to regional, national and international building standards.
UL says the SPOT database goes beyond traditional green certification data to include a comprehensive view of a product’s attributes through expanded product listings. The expanded listings will also include safety data such as fire ratings and, for furniture, performance certifications and claim verifications. This data will be curated and managed by UL to give users confidence that the data is from reliable, credible sources.
To learn more about streamlining sustainable product specification through the SPOT database, visit the UL Web site.
