Bayer Climate Program

April 6, 2009

Environmentally friendly construction

Enjoy the attractive architecture – and protect the climate

Energy-saving building concept for different climatic regions

The first EcoCommercial Building from Bayer is taking shape near New Delhi in India. With its combination of high-tech insulation materials and modern technology, the building is ideally adapted to local climatic conditions with a view to achieving a zero-emission solution.

Leverkusen, April 2009 – Zero-emission houses, which on balance do not emit any CO2 into the atmosphere, don’t just pay off in mild climates – they are suitable for use virtually anywhere in the world. “The key to success is an architecture designed with the local climatic conditions in mind and efficient use of state-of-the-art materials,” explained Peter Neuwald, head of Industry Innovation at Bayer MaterialScience, during a lecture at the Utech Conference. Sophisticated simulations performed as part of the EcoCommercial Building project of Bayer MaterialScience show, for example, how the energy requirements of a building can be minimized through polyurethane insulating materials and transparent polycarbonate glazing. The materials specialist is currently erecting an administration building close to New Delhi, whose environmental compatibility has been optimized using these types of simulations, which take into account the region’s warm and humid climate. However, this eco-friendly building concept can also be adapted to suit the climatic conditions in other regions around the world.

Buildings are responsible for around 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the challenges with respect to climate-friendly design are expected to grow in the future. For example, rising temperatures will increase the demand for energy-intensive air-conditioning systems if action is not taken quickly. “Energy-saving buildings can make a big contribution to climate protection,” says Neuwald. As part of the Bayer Climate Program, the Bayer Group intends to invest around EUR 1 billion in research and development into improving climate protection up to 2010. The Bayer EcoCommercial Building project is one such initiative. “Adapting the architecture to the local climatic conditions is not actually a new idea. But we are taking it up and combining it with the possibilities offered by cutting-edge materials and high-tech light and IT management,” he continues. Modern calculation methods can be used to quantify the energy requirements of these buildings before they have been built. This makes it possible to develop solutions tailored to any region in the world.

The building in Greater Noida, India, is set to accommodate some 40 employees in the future. A cubic floor plan and a flat roof proved to be the best architectural design in this case. Highly efficient polyurethane thermal insulation in combination with sealant materials gives the building an air-tight shell that keeps the warm and humid air out. The roof domes, which are optimized to maximize the use of sunlight, mainly consist of polycarbonate. They filter out a large proportion of the infra-red rays from the sunlight, thus preventing the building from heating up. The shell of the building has a cooling effect by day. The structure heats up over the course of the day and then emits this heat inside at night, which eliminates the need for heating. The building’s power is supplied by a photovoltaic system. An intelligent air exchange and energy-saving lighting systems help limit the building’s energy requirements to 40 kWh/(m2a). By way of comparison, conventional buildings in India require about twelve times this amount of energy. Calculations show that the additional “environmental investment” required by buildings like this one will pay off in less than ten years.

With temperatures above 20 °C for nine months of the year, the climate at the site in New Delhi is ideal for constructing zero-emission buildings. However, simulations performed by Bayer MaterialScience show that effective solutions can also be developed for other regions, such as Valencia in Spain, Shanghai in China and even for the cooler climate in Leverkusen in Germany. “By specifically adjusting the architecture of the buildings to the respective locations and an aligned use of materials from Bayer MaterialScience a local solution can be developed, which combines climate protection and cost effectiveness,” says Neuwald.

About Bayer MaterialScience:
With 2008 sales of EUR 9.7 billion, Bayer MaterialScience is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction and sports and leisure industries. Bayer MaterialScience has 30 production sites around the globe and employed approximately 15,100 people at the end of 2008. Bayer MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company.

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