Oct 8 2010
Bayer MaterialScience supports the currently planned climate-friendly city of the future in Germany’s Ruhr region with its unique network for sustainable construction. The company provides technologies, materials and expertise from its comprehensive EcoCommercial Building Program to the InnovationCity Ruhr. Bayer MaterialScience has also become a member of the Initiativkreis Ruhr (Initiative for the Ruhr region) which has established the contest for the future eco-city.
"InnovationCity Ruhr is an urban flagship project which will be of great appeal to the whole of Europe and serve as a reference for the sustainable redevelopment of a complete city", says Peter Vanacker, member of the Executive Committee at Bayer Material Science and global patron of the EcoCommercial Building Program. "We are proud to utilize our expertise as a network for sustainable construction in this fantastic project in North Rhine-Westphalia, where our company has its roots, right from the beginning."
Guided by the theme ‘blue sky, green city’, a complete urban neighborhood with about 50,000 inhabitants will be converted into a model low-energy city. The goal is to reduce energy demand in the pilot area by 50 per cent by 2020. Thus, all buildings are to be refurbished and become energy-efficient. Innovative technologies shall contribute to low-carbon energy production, novel transport systems will make green mobility come true and improve the quality of urban life. The estimated investment volume is EUR 2.5 billion.
Currently, the site of the InnovationCity Ruhr is determined in a contest. Bottrop, Bochum, Essen, Gelsenkirchen/Herten and Mülheim an der Ruhr are among the five finalist cities. An independent expert jury will choose the successful city early November 2010. Being a lighthouse project, InnovationCity Ruhr wants to give an impetus to other municipalities in the Ruhr region for starting their own energy-efficient projects. The long-term objective is the energy-efficient urban redevelopment of the whole region.
Peter Lampe, Chairman of the Initiativkreis Ruhr Management Board, gives a warm welcome to the new project partner: "The future belongs to sustainable cities, and this is only practicable on a large scale through the energy-efficient refurbishment of existing buildings. In this context, the EcoCommercial Building Program can make an important contribution to the realization of the InnovationCity Ruhr."
With this program, which Bayer MaterialScience has established to link the know-how of experts in various aspects of sustainable construction for the first time, the future model city can draw on integrated, innovative solutions for energy-efficient and economically efficient construction. Bayer MaterialScience produces a big number of raw materials that contribute to protecting the climate, itself. High performance polymers based on these products are used for the thermal insulation of buildings, for example.
This comprehensive portfolio is of particular value with regard to the large spectrum of the project, explains Markus Palm, Managing Director InnovationCity Management GmbH. "For the first time, all aspects of an established and vibrant city are integrated in a sustainable redevelopment project. For example, residential areas are transformed into attractive energy-saving urban quarters and municipal facilities, such as indoor swimming pools and kindergartens, are heated with cheap and eco-friendly energy. We further concentrate on attracting sustainable enterprises to the region", says Palm.
Bayer MaterialScience has initiated the EcoCommercial Building Program to support decision-makers in the construction industry worldwide in realizing green but yet economically-efficient buildings. Being involved in the groundbreaking InnovationCity Ruhr project, the initiative expands its main focus to include refurbishment.
"InnovationCity Ruhr offers an excellent opportunity to bring the enormous ecological and economic potential of energy-efficient refurbishment to the attention of a broad audience", emphasizes Dr. Thomas Braig, regional director of the EcoCommercial Building Program for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. "Therefore, we are now launching the second stage of our initiative by extending the initial scope from new developments to existing buildings."