Bring the material world to your classroom with guest lectures, guides, and more
Material Intelligence founder Kenn Busch creates materials-focused Certified Education Unit articles and presentations for practicing architects and interior designers with over 12 years of experience. He’s a seasoned public speaker excited about engaging the next generation of interior and furniture designers.
Keith’s knowledge of the engineered wood products lifecycle and carbon offset capabilities, along with his extensive coverage of international design and materials fairs, brings a global perspective on sustainability and aesthetics to your classroom.
Book a Guest Lecture for your classroomPast presentations
- Savannah College of Art and Design, 2017
- UW Madison, 25 September 2019
Live and on-demand presentations and material guides

Keith’s lecture was informative, engaging, and educational. The material was presented at the right level for my third-year students.
He didn’t bore students with too many technical details, but put materials in a global context with his observations from international exhibitions. His coverage of projects created by students and young designers from around the world helped bring students into the conversation.
Kenn kept the class tuned in and handled students’ questions well.
Laura Tremko, NCIDQ, IIDA
2016–2018 Adjunct Professor of Interior Design, Savannah College of Art and Design

Material Intelligence is an official provider of materials and sustainability content for the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC).

Classroom and guest speaking
Material Intelligence provides materials education for practicing architects and interior designers, design schools, and university classrooms for more than a dozen years.
Founder Kenn Busch is a seasoned public speaker passionate about engaging the next generation of interior and furniture designers. He brings a global perspective on sustainability and aesthetics to your classroom.

Material Guides for Commercial Specifiers
Find practical, easy-to-understand definitions and applications for various surfaces to help you choose the right materials for your next design or building project.
Get the material guides for surfaces and substrates for furniture and interior architecture, as well as information on surface design technology.
We’re able to offer materials education at no charge to IDEC member schools thanks to these generous sponsors



Supplier stories
Explore the sustainability, design, and technology behind the materials in these supplier stories.

Voices + Visionaries
Video interviews and story highlights from just a few of the young designers we’ve encountered in our travels to the world’s biggest and most exciting exhibitions and trend fairs.
What materials are climate-positive?
Visit ClimatePositiveNOW.org to learn the story behind nature’s perfect carbon sink and why these materials will build the way to a better future.
Global exhibitions + events
We visit some of the most important international furniture, design and material fairs to capture the essence and energy of the event, interview the thinkers and doers, and bring it all back to you, the busy visionaries charged with creating the future of our built environment.
Material IQ design solutions
Choosing the best material for each market, surface, and application can be an art in itself. Properly balancing design, durability, cost, and environmental impact for your clients is key to your success.
In Material IQ, you’ll find an ever-growing catalog of real-world stories of material triumphs that can help guide your specifications.