Sep 17 2014
Facing the severe challenges of rapid urbanization, fast-growing populations and scarce construction land, development of high-rise buildings has long been the only development path for city construction.
Asia has already become the global center for high-rise buildings. In 2013, seventy-three buildings over 200 meters tall were constructed worldwide; Asia dominated the high-rise building industry, constructing fifty-three high-rise buildings (74% of the global total), according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s (CTBUH) “2013:A Tall Building Review”.
With a total of thirty-seven of those buildings, China was also the world’s number-one builder of high-rise buildings. With the emergence and dominance of high-rise buildings, reducing building energy consumption has become one of the top challenges within the building industry. Building energy consumption accounts for approximately 40% of global energy consumption. Increasing building energy efficiency and constructing sustainable buildings is now central to China’s efforts to reduce overall energy consumption. With support of both the government and industry, sustainable buildings have the opportunity for rapid development.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) 2014 International Conference is taking place September 16-19 in Shanghai, with the theme “Future Cities: Towards Sustainable Vertical Urbanism.” At the conference, Dow Corning sustainable building experts will share how the company’s high performance building solutions contribute to sustainable future cities. Dr. Mikkel Kragh, Dow Corning Global Façade and Architectural Design Leader and Stanley Yee, Dow Corning Façade Design and Construction Specialist will speak at the September 16 morning façade design technical workshop, to share Dow Corning’s results in improving sustainable building design and construction with the industry.
“The continuing urbanization in China and the scale and number of tall buildings being designed and constructed pose a really critical challenge in terms of building energy consumption. As a global leader in silicon science, Dow Corning will continue to set the standard for high performance building materials ultimately helping to develop China’s sustainable building industry. We consciously combine elements of design and performance in order to give maximum freedom to designers to create long-lasting quality architecture.” Dr Kragh said at the conference.
With global leading technical knowledge and rich industry experience, Dow Corning is committed to developing high performance building solutions supported by the latest silicon innovations that improve building appearance, durability, energy efficiency and sustainability. In response to the many challenges in the high-rise building industry, Dow Corning has developed a variety of curtain wall design solutions, such as the Dow Corning® Architectural Insulation Modules.
AIM preserves curtain wall aesthetics and convenience, and integrated with Dow Corning’s Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP) that increases energy efficiency. Compared to the conventional insulation materials, VIP offers five to ten times the thermal insulation and building energy savings. Dow Corning AIM are currently available in various combinations of glass/glass and glass/metal facings, allowing architects the freedom to fully realize their aesthetic vision for the building exterior and significantly increase the thermal resistance in space limited situation.
Over the last several decades, Dow Corning has been devoting itself to innovation projects that contribute to improving sustainability in the building industry, and providing solutions for global energy conservation and environmental challenges. Dow Corning’s green high performance silicone building materials are widely used in many of China’s most notable high-rise buildings: 80% of China’s top ten landmark buildings feature Dow Corning solutions, including the Shenzhen Ping An International Finance Center and the recently topped out Shanghai Center.
In addition, Dow Corning’s unique Quality BondTM program provides substantial quality assurance for China’s next generation of sustainable buildings. Launched in 2006 and introduced in the China market in 2012, the Quality BondTM program helps silicone structural glazing clients to increase their market competitiveness. Based on clients’ business needs, the program provides comprehensive support, including technical assistance, sector expertise, project consultation, quality control, training, and marketing assistance. Through this customized support, Dow Corning works to ensure that each customer’s project benefits from the most effective systems and technology and meets the highest global industry standards and regulations.
Source: http://www.dowcorning.com