History | Leadership
History
Vision
Throughout the 20th century, emerging manufacturing technologies created a flood of exciting new materials that radically transformed society. During the 1980s, most notably, a mind-boggling array of new technologies came to the marketplace with the capacity to radically alter a wide array of industries.
Those who could profit most from this quantum change rarely had access to or knew how to maximize the creative or business potential of these swift changes. Foreseeing how busy design professionals and companies seeking to better their products could benefit from learning about the latest material innovations, George M. Beylerian envisioned a unique comprehensive resource that would provide creatives and engineers alike with access to the most exciting new materials.
Foundation
In 1997, Beylerian created Material ConneXion® to fill a need in the creative circles where materials are specified and where the future of the built environment is planned. Innovative materials were scouted from around the world--from small companies in remote regions to new materials from major global manufacturers--and were vetted by a seasoned jury of experts and material scientists. Their task?To separate the best from the simply ordinary.
The best of the best became the foundation for Material ConneXion and our materials library - the world's first library of advanced and innovative materials and processes. Material ConneXion quickly became recognized as an unparralleled source for innovation and inspiration that provided our users the distinct advantage to discover the latest and most exciting materials originating from a large spectrum of industries, otherwise impossible to reach.
Evolution
Over the next few years, Material ConneXion expanded in size, scope and capabilities. Designers of every discipline from around the world became members of the library, which grew by first hundreds and then quickly thousands of materials, including the most advanced sustainable materials available available at the time.
Material ConneXion's Inventive public programs--eye-opening exhibitions, seminars, lectures, and our quarterly publication Matter--became a nexus for dynamic dialogue about materials and design.
Most importantly, Material ConneXion's consulting services--led by our Advanced Materials Solution Team--became highly sought after by Fortune 500s of every industry seeking strategic material solutions as a means to innovation.
In an increasingly globalized world, Material ConneXion became highly sought after as a vital tool for the development of design, industry and economy. Soon, locations opened in important design centers, bringing consulting services and materials libraries to Milan (2002), Cologne (2005), Bangkok (2005), and Daegu, Korea (2008).
Today
Nowhere in the world have materials been celebrated as they are at Material ConneXion. When our doors opened more than ten years ago we featured 200 materials. Over a decade later, with five locations worldwide, an internationally renowned team of materials specialists and scientists, and the world's largest library of advanced, innovative and sustainable materials, Material ConneXion has become the leading global materials consultancy.
A leader in sustainable materials research since inception, Material ConneXion's sustainable materials expertise is today, highly sought after by companies choosing to safeguard the world's ecology by creating environmentally-friendly products and architecture.
In addition to publishing our own books, Material ConneXion: The Global Resource (Thames & Hudson 2005), Ultra Materials: How Materials Innovation is Changing the World (Thames & Hudson 2007), and our yearly Materials Matter catalogue, we continue to receive extensive international media attention from such publications as The New York Times, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Businessweek, CNN, Fast Company, Metropolis, ID, Wallpaper, Dwell, and Interior Design, among others (read more In the Media).