Nov 13 2009
Bayer MaterialScience aims to assist in the reduction of emissions through its energy-efficient building concept - a completely new global business model for the construction industry. Bayer is a member of UNEP's Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative (SBCI).
The EcoCommercial Building program offers an important element to the work of SBCI and is seen as having great potential for contributing to sustainable and cost-effective construction in the future.
The background to this innovative concept is the fact that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently came to the conclusion that the amount of CO2 emissions caused by the utilization of buildings could be reduced by 29 percent by the year 2020 without causing any net costs.
Bayer MaterialScience will implement its program with various selected partner companies: On the materials side, these include Bayer Sheet Europe, Bolidt Kunststoftoepassing, Linzmeier Baueelemente, puren and Solon; while service partners comprise Bayer Technology Services, the Finance & Information Management Research Center, and the P. Jung engineering office.
The group of partners intends to work together to ensure that decision-makers in the construction industry are kept reliably informed of the possibilities for designing buildings that are sustainable, environmentally conscious, energy-efficient and economical. The focus of this project is on commercial and public buildings.
Bayer itself also applies the EcoCommercial Building (ECB) concept. The company’s new administration building in Diegem (Belgium) has been built to a design with optimal energy efficiency in mind. Through its energy-optimized construction, the building uses only half as much energy as a normal office building - a successful concept that was awarded the "Belgian Prize of Architecture and Energy" in October 2009.
Bayer’s first example of an EcoCommercial Building was inaugurated at the beginning of November 2009. The Bayer CropScience child care center in Monheim has been built to meet its own energy needs without generating CO2 emissions. The project was one of ten to be awarded the "Energy-optimized Building 2009" prize by the German Federal Ministry of Economics.
In Greater Noida, near New Delhi in India, a Bayer administration building is currently under construction. This building will require as much as 70 percent less energy than comparable buildings when completed in September 2010.
All three of these projects were built with the involvement of regional partners as part of the EcoCommercial Building program.
Through its ECB program, Bayer MaterialScience is supporting an integral planning program that takes into account both local climate conditions and energy requirements of each individual building. This ensures that the concept can be adapted to any of the planet’s various climate zones.
To achieve the maximum goal of an average of zero emissions over the year, insulation plays a key role; and this is where Bayer MaterialScience's well-proven materials come in. Working together with partner companies (all selected by Bayer MaterialScience), the team can call on the entire spectrum of materials and know-how needed to design energy-efficient buildings.
Sustainability, economic efficiency and positive environmental effects can be achieved in many different ways. Solutions include polyurethane systems for floor coatings; long-life LED indoor and outdoor lighting systems; polyurethane insulation for roofs, walls and floors; polycarbonate sheets for roofing constructions, glazing, skylights and façade panels; photovoltaic modules in a polyurethane frame; polyurethane-metal composite elements; polyurethane sealing systems; solvent-free adhesives; and energy-efficient lighting systems. Through these products, it is possible to significantly reduce energy costs as well as reduce the costs of the materials. And, at the same time, extend the useful life of the building.
Because this program is a global initiative, a center of excellence is currently being established for the Europe, Middle East and Africa Region to complement similar centers in North America, China, Japan and South-East Asia. These will provide the main points of contact for sustainable construction.
In the future, Bayer MaterialScience intends to further develop its service and product offerings under the EcoCommercial Building initiative, and adapt them to the individual needs of the potential clients.