Ludwigshafen, Germany -- BASF is investing about Euro 50 million ($68 million) to build a new laboratory that will combine research from several specialities under one roof. The building will use many of BASF's construction materials, which include insulation such as rigid polyurethane foam, the company indicated.
The modern 4300 sq.m lab will be close to Gate 7 in the south of the Ludwigshafen site, BASF said.
The unit will offer material physicists and additive, formulation and polymer researchers ideal conditions for even closer cooperation, said a company statement,
"Innovations based on efficient and effective research and development are an important cornerstone of our strategy in the future and will be the guarantor of organic growth. With the new research building we will keep our site in Ludwigshafen competitive on an international level and strengthen our global research network," said Dr Andreas Kreimeyer, BASF board member for research, in a company statement.
Developing system solutions requires cooperation between many disciplines, BASF added, noting that the six-story building will house around 200 employees and will be ready to use in the second half of 2015.
"We expect this project to generate additional impulses for material research, creating the best foundation for developing functionalised materials," said Dr Christian Fischer, head of BASF's Materials and System Research.
In the new laboratory building, BASF will use of energy-efficient solutions. Innovative construction materials from research as well as BASF products will be used. These include building insulation with high performance foams and Mastertop flooring for part of the floors.
BASF said whether automotive construction, electronics or the building and construction industry: "innovations in many sectors are increasingly based on intelligent chemistry." These functionalised materials combine untypical properties and enable new applications such as lightweight automotive construction or significant improvements of properties in existing materials.
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