A contemporary living space shaped by earth, timber, stone and natural fibre

Material infrastructure for sustainable spaces

Better materials.
Better spaces.

Tessara makes sustainable African materials easier to discover, understand, source and build with.

Explore materials Partner with Tessara

50+industry conversations

Floor to roofmaterial ecosystem

Kenya firstbuilt to scale across Africa

Our belief

Every building begins with a material decision.

Africa has the materials, ingenuity and ambition to build its next generation of cities differently.

Yet sustainable alternatives remain difficult to find, evaluate and procure. Producers struggle to reach projects. Specifiers fall back on what is familiar. Tessara connects the pieces.

“The bottleneck isn’t innovation. The bottleneck is coordination.”

Material possibilities

Inspired by nature.
Designed for living.

From agricultural waste to renewable resources, we are mapping the materials that can shape healthier, lower-carbon spaces.

Natural fibres

Woven, acoustic and composite applications

Agricultural residues

Bagasse and crop waste, reimagined

Bamboo

Fast-growing structural versatility

Clay & earth

Low-impact, locally rooted finishes

Recycled materials

New value from recovered resources

Responsible timber

Traceable wood for lasting spaces

The Tessara material library is in development. We are currently onboarding producers and technical partners.

The Material Operating System

From possibility
to built reality.

One trusted system connecting material knowledge, supply and project delivery.

Discover

Explore better material possibilities by application, performance and aesthetic.

Understand

Compare technical specifications, lifecycle information and installation guidance.

Connect

Find verified manufacturers and the partners who can deliver with confidence.

Build

Move from material selection to procurement, coordination and finished spaces.

How we work

Built through research,
testing and fieldwork.

Better materials earn trust before they enter a building. Tessara brings together evidence, real-world performance and local knowledge to help promising materials become dependable choices.

Research

Translating material science and technical knowledge into clear, useful information for the people making building decisions.

Testing

Looking beyond promise to understand how materials perform, endure and integrate into real construction and design workflows.

Fieldwork

Learning alongside producers, specifiers and builders so that every solution responds to local realities as well as technical ambition.

Who we bring together

Build on either side
of the system.

Tessara grows when material specifiers and material producers grow together.

For specifiers

Find better materials for your next space.

For architects, interior designers, developers and project owners looking for trusted alternatives.

Discuss a project

For producers

Bring your material to a larger market.

For manufacturers, researchers and innovators ready to build visibility, trust and commercial reach.

Join the network

The future is material

Let’s build better.

Whether you are designing spaces, developing materials or creating the systems around them, we would like to hear from you.

Start a conversation

Better materials.Better spaces.