Wacker Supports German-Chinese Initiative for Energy-Efficient Construction

Munich-based Wacker Chemie AG is participating in an initiative launched by the German Deutsche Energie Agentur GmbH (dena) and the Chinese Ministry of Construction (MoC) to support and promote the construction and renovation of climate-adapted and energy-efficient buildings in China. A roadshow through six major Chinese cities starts today in Beijing and includes a series of seminars on energy-efficient construction for Chinese construction industry professionals. The aim is to support the development and use of energy-efficient products and promote internationally recognized quality standards in China.
Rising fuel costs, global warming and local climatic conditions mean that efficient exterior insulation is becoming increasingly important in China. After all, the better a building’s insulation is, the less energy is needed for heating and air conditioning. WACKER research has shown that effective exterior insulation can reduce a building’s energy consumption by up to 60 percent. According to dena, buildings in China require four times as much energy for heating and cooling per square meter of living area than those in industrialized European countries.
As the federal German competence centre for energy efficiency and renewable energies, dena coordinates and implements projects and campaigns at a national and international level. Now, dena has joined up with WACKER and other European industrial partners to carry out a strategic and high-profile transfer of German construction-sector energy-efficiency expertise to China.
Six regional seminars are scheduled, involving close collaboration with the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Town Planning, the Chinese Ministry of Construction (MoC) and the subsidiary Center for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (CEEB). Support is also being provided by the German Embassy in Beijing. In these technical seminars, experts will explain energy-efficient construction practices to Chinese participants and emphasize the necessity of quality regarding planning, the choice of materials and during construction itself. “The seminars also serve to initiate contacts between important decision-makers in China and Germany,” explains project manager Ulrich Deutschmann of WACKER POLYMERS.
A building loses most of its energy through its exterior or “skin.” Thus, effective insulation is one of the simplest and most logical ways of saving energy. WACKER’s VINNAPAS® polymer powders are indispensable for modern, energy-saving exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS), since unmodified cement does not form a stable bond with the expanded polystyrene board conventionally used as an insulating material. However, an adhesive mortar modified with a small amount of VINNAPAS® will form a stable and permanent bond with the polystyrene board. VINNAPAS® forms a polymeric film in the mortar that not only improves the mortar’s adhesion, but also makes it more flexible and impact resistant. Hydrophobic VINNAPAS® polymer powders reduce water absorption, resulting in an insulating system that offers greater durability and much more resistance to weathering and mechanical forces than its unmodified counterparts. VINNAPAS® also improves adhesion to all substrates, from concrete to brick and even old plaster.
“WACKER’s VINNAPAS® has played an integral role in the development of exterior insulation and finish systems from the outset,” recounts Peter Schneider, head of WACKER’s Construction Polymers China unit. “We are the market and technology leader in polymer binders worldwide, and can offer a portfolio of tried-and-true products to match any climate and requirement. In this way, we are helping to introduce and promote the use of high-quality, efficient construction materials and techniques in China.”
Besides Beijing, seminars will be held over the coming months in Shenyang, Shanghai, Qingdao, Chengdu and Shenzhen. To accompany and complement the presentations, the organizers are publishing a manual featuring the most important energy-efficiency activities in both new construction projects and the renovation of existing buildings.