Jan 28 2011
Bayer has opened its first emissions-neutral office building in Asia as part of its Group-wide sustainability program.
Bayer MaterialScience’s new building in Greater Noida, near New Delhi, India, which draws 100 percent of its electricity from a photovoltaic plant, needs some 50 percent less power than comparable buildings in the region. It is a further reference project for Bayer’s EcoCommercial Building (ECB) program, a specialist global network for sustainable construction.
“Our new office building represents the link between innovation and sustainability,” said Dr. Wolfgang Plischke, who is the member of the Bayer AG Board of Management responsible for Innovation, Technology and Environment and for the Asia-Pacific region. “We want to use our skills and products in the field of high-quality materials to boost energy efficiency in buildings, as this approach offers enormous potential for cutting CO2 emissions.” Energy consumption in buildings is responsible for around 30 percent of CO2 emissions. “That is why we will continue to expand the EcoCommercial Building program as part of our sustainability strategy – both in Asia and worldwide.”
Bayer has previously built a climate-neutral company child daycare center at its Monheim site in Germany and an energy-optimized office building in Belgium. These projects show that approaches such as combining efficient insulation with renewable energies can help to dramatically reduce a building’s energy consumption and therefore its CO2 emissions.
The EcoCommercial Building in India, which Bayer built in conjunction with local companies, shows that the concept is also applicable in sub-tropical climates. While in the temperate European climate zone building insulation is primarily used to protect against cold, its foremost purpose in countries such as India is to protect against heat. Foams based on high-quality materials from Bayer MaterialScience perform both tasks with exceptional efficiency.
The new office cost around EUR 5 million to build. It is part of an investment package that Bayer has been implementing at the Greater Noida site. This also includes a new color competence and design center for polycarbonates and Bayer MaterialScience’s existing systems house. In total Bayer has invested around EUR 26 million in these projects.
“Our EcoCommercial Building program has created an unrivalled interdisciplinary network for sustainable construction,” said Patrick Thomas, Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer MaterialScience. “Our materials and know-how in this field facilitate the development of solutions that are energy-efficient and therefore cost-effective.” He added that the new building in Greater Noida underlined the importance of India as a location for Bayer Material Science. “This country is one of the most rapidly growing markets in Asia, which is why it is essential that we have a local presence.”
The EcoCommercial Building in India: Low energy and eco-friendly
The new office building is located in the industrial region of Greater Noida, some 40 kilometers to the south-east of the Indian capital New Delhi. It is approximately 1,000 square meters in size and can accommodate around 40 workstations. It also serves as a model for customers of a sustainable, climate-friendly building solution.
Taken over the year as a whole, the building is CO2-neutral. In other words, energy consumption for heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting is covered in full by renewable energy. A photovoltaic system on the roof generates some 120,000 kilowatt hours of renewable electricity each year. That is equivalent to a reduction of approximately 108,000 kilograms of CO2 emissions.
The two-story, cube-shaped building was designed using extensive computer simulations and was adapted effectively to suit the local sub-tropical climate. The building is aligned according to the path of the Sun. The walls, roof and floors are insulated with polyisocyanurate (PIR) rigid foam to keep the heat out. Over its service life, this material helps save some 70 times as much energy as is needed to produce it. Highly efficient air-conditioning and lighting systems are also used in the building. What’s more, the ratio of windows to walls has been calculated with great precision, with transparent surfaces making up a good third of the total area.
EcoCommercial Building program – a partner network for sustainable buildings
The global EcoCommercial Building program of Bayer MaterialScience is part of the Bayer sustainability program. It offers decision-makers in the construction industry a unique portfolio of services and material solutions for energy-efficient and cost-effective building. As part of this program, Bayer MaterialScience is working with a network of members from various disciplines to support professionals such as architects, project managers, construction managers, developers and managers of larger companies in the creation of public and commercial buildings that far outstrip previous sustainability standards. The services on offer range from energy efficiency assessments during the planning phase and the use of environmentally friendly materials to the employment of renewable energies.
Source: http://www.bayer.com/