It was an idea borne out of frustration. In an attempt to push the outside of the envelope for the usual, existing resources for a building project, a practicing architect literally spent days trying to locate building products on a worldwide basis. Then it came to him. Why not create a single, all-encompassing resource to connect the worldwide design and construction industries?

The culmination of Manhattan architect William N. Bernstein's efforts was manifested in a Web site called BuildItWorldwide.com with a company motto, "Design and Build Anything, Anywhere!" Evidently, the U.S. Patent Office agreed that it was a pretty unique idea, and granted a trademark for both the name and the motto.

The work in creating a single directory and marketplace started in the summer of 1999, and the site's "architect" never looked back. "We are different because, unlike most sites, we don't have an agenda or product to push, says Bernstein. "Our goal is to make the most comprehensive, most useful resource possible. We currently have 27,648 unique company listings in approximately 100 industry-specific categories in 96 countries, and our database is growing by around 150 companies a day."

Visiting the site itself is an interesting experience, with its home page chock full of alternatives leading to exotic products and services, appealing to the non-conformist in any builder. "The search function is particularly user-friendly," says Bernstein, "All the categories are listed on the Front Page, without the usual clutter. It's a simple, intuitive series of clicks to find the right group of products or services in the right geographical area."

Broken down into categories such as "Design It,", "Build It," Work It," and "Buy It" among others, Build It Worldwide offers choices all over the world for those seeking personnel such architects, consultants, engineers, construction managers, historic preservationists, and environmental builders, and also has a section for employment opportunities and competitions. The "Document It" category leads to accountants, blueprint and copy services, building codes, insurance and legal photography. Nothing is overlooked, including furniture, real estate agents, building products, and even computer systems and software.

The possibilities are limitless, according to Bernstein. It is feasible, as an example, to use the site to hire architects in Russia, buy stone in India, find custom woodwork in South Africa, and hire a contractor in Poland.

"We have just completed and are about to make operational an Internet RFP (Request for Proposal) system, which will enable visitors to our site to select a category and geographical area, and to send an RFP to all of the companies meeting those parameters, for one low price," boasts Bernstein. Not dependent on venture capital, the site's main source of revenue is currently reaped from banner advertising or the client purchases of more detailed servings of data listings. The new RFP system, however, will no doubt help ratchet up the site's usefulness another notch.

"There are stories everywhere of dot-coms going under because they've gotten overconfident too quickly and hired layers of people to manage the site and the business," says Bernstein. "We foresee steady growth with the emergence of ideas like 'Build It Worldwide,' but are trying to exercise calculated expansion, since our goal is longevity."

With the Internet enabling firms like Build It Worldwide to link the general public to design and construction trades and communities all over the globe in one location, it seems the future holds no ceilings for where sites like this can go, shrinking our world even further.