Entering ecobuild as a sustainability partner in January 2006, turned out to be an outstanding success for BASF. BASF came to ecobuild with the objective of increasing awareness of BASF’s expertise in ecological and energy-efficient technologies and products. Combined with our sponsorship of ecobuild, and our participation in various exhibitions, conferences and forums we feel we achieved that objective. Holding events together is a great opportunity and reveals in which ways sustainable building, modern methods of energy-efficient technologies and construction products are increasingly linked together. BASF has experienced an important step towards enhanced collaboration with various construction stakeholders.

ecobuild conferences succeeded in creating an excellent dialogue to various construction stakeholders. It provided us with the opportunity to meet a broad range of public and private professionals, building owners, main contractors, architects and designers, all of whom were keen to learn more about the practical solutions that we can offer. In particular, the interest shown in our broad range of innovative and energy-efficient construction materials reflected the growing importance of new building solutions to meet the future energy-efficiency standards in buildings.

The best-known product invented by BASF is a styrene plastic, namely Styropor®, an expandable polystyrene (EPS). Ease of processing, low weight and an excellent cost-performance ratio have made Styropor® into the most widely used foam insulating material in the construction industry. BASF also serves many PU applications in the construction industry, such as PU insulation materials for low and passive energy buildings or a wide array of PU pipe insulation materials. Polyurethane rigid foam used in modern construction methods, for example, not only increases the amount of living space thanks to its relative thinness, but also reduces energy and costs. Polyurethane foam injection systems for thermal insulation in roofs also play an important role in the construction industry.

Applications in the construction sector often have a service life of many years, making durability essential. The materials used have to be scratch and impact-resistant, and dimensionally stable. Outdoor applications also demand excellent weather and UV resistance, preventing yellowing and embrittlement. The material mainly used in indoor construction applications is Ultramid® – extremely robust in applications such as door handles, wardrobes, or balustrades. For outdoor applications, the weathering properties of Luran® S are unequalled. Luran® S can be used in durable applications which retain their attractive appearance over many years – external doors, mail boxes or signs, for example. High sound absorption capacity and safe fire characteristics favor Basotect® for rising requirements for comfort and legal requirements. For preventive fire protection, Palusol® is a building product that intumesce in the event of a fire.

Moreover, BASF is currently the only company in the world that is able to provide the construction industry with large quantities of formaldehyde-free, micro-encapsulated latent head stores (also know as PCMs or phase change materials). Phase change materials smooth out temperature peaks and release the heat at night, improving the climate and saving cost and energy. As a result, air conditioning units can be dispensed with or at least made smaller.

Buildings and vehicles primarily heat via transparent surfaces. Opaque elements such as walls, ceilings and roofs can be fitted with reflecting surface to reduce heat transfer, but wavelength-selective filters are needed for transparent surfaces such as windows or façade elements. BASF has a number of developments in progress in both areas: Organic near infrared (NIR) absorbers, which can protect transparent construction elements from thermal radiation and inorganic special effect pigments.

Summing up, the partnership with ecobuild was the ideal opportunity for BASF to explore ways in which construction materials can be incorporated into different building projects. Networking served as the perfect tool for conversations and further movements towards future business developments for BASF.