Leverkusen, Germany - The EcoCommercial Building Program (ECB) initiated by Bayer MaterialScience has grown into a network of nearly 90 expert partners worldwide and is now to be expanded.
"We have explained to decision-makers in the building industry what opportunities today's materials already offer them for designing the most energy-efficient buildings possible," said Dr Thomas Römer, ECB's global head, in a BMS statement.
These discussions produced valuable information about additional needs, adding impetus for further developments. "We now want to use this knowledge in closer collaboration with our network partners to better exploit the business potential of such innovative ideas."
In addition to working out energy-efficient building solutions, ECB will now also establish a development network, a kind of "think tank" that brings material manufacturers into direct contact with developers and serves as a platform.
"For this purpose, we also want to enter into further partnerships along the value chain, taking up an integrating role in the industry," Römer says.
One current development is the Bomatherm solar air collector/roof insulating system in close collaboration with ECB network partner puren gmbh, which intelligently combines solar power generation with highly efficient thermal insulation.
Both partners recognised a market need early on and are developing a solution that is both sustainable and economical by cleverly combining existing technologies.
The underlying idea is simple and ingenious, says BMS, offering a low-cost way to use renewable energy, at the same time saving energy with insulation.
The collector on the outside of the roof contains cool air. Through an absorber, energy from the sun is transferred to the air. This works even when sun exposure is relatively minimal.
The warm air thus obtained can be used in a variety of ways in the building systems. Under the collector is thermal insulation made from polyurethane rigid foam that forms no thermal bridges.
The thermal insulation panels are manufactured by puren using BMS polyurethane raw materials. "The EcoCommercial Building Program is the ideal development partner for our solar innovation, with whom we can cooperate on the realization of a new idea over a longer period," commented Dr Andreas Huther, managing director of puren, in BMS's statement.
