Masdar and Bayer MaterialScience sign co-operation on sustainable construction

Bayer to implement EcoCommercial building program in Masdar City to highlight energy-efficient and economic construction in subtropical climate

Leverkusen, Germany;  Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, January 25, 2010 (ME NewsWire): Masdar, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Mubadala Development Company focused on developing sustainable and renewable energy solutions and Bayer MaterialScience, a division of Bayer AG and a global provider of materials used in the building industry, have signed a strategic partnership agreement in sustainable construction.

The agreement focuses on developing Bayer MaterialScience EcoCommercial Building (ECB) Program through the proposed construction of an EcoCommercial Building prototype in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi.

The Masdar City ECB prototype will be a model for energy efficient and economic construction, incorporating state-of-the art design for a subtropical climate. On completion, the Masdar City ECB prototype is intended to house the Middle East EcoCommercial Building Program organization from Bayer MaterialScience, and will serve as an interactive communication, exhibition and training platform for a broad range of stakeholders with an interest in eco-commercial construction.

Masdar City is a clean-technology cluster located in a sustainable city powered by renewable energy. It seeks to become a global centre for innovation, research, product development and light manufacturing in the fields of renewable energy and sustainable technologies. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will also base its headquarters in the city.

The EcoCommerical Building Program, an integral part of the comprehensive Bayer Climate Program, combines high-tech products and expertise from Bayer MaterialScience and qualified partner companies to facilitate tailored solutions for the construction of energy-optimized commercial and public buildings that range from low-energy and passive construction to zero-emission buildings.

Through this strategic cooperation, all parties involved in the EcoCommercial Building Program will provide innovative solutions and assist Masdar City attain its high sustainability goals.

In December 2009, Bayer MaterialScience declared its support to a proposal by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) for a globally consistent Common Carbon Metric for Buildings which will provide a common language for measuring greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency of buildings.

“Buildings are responsible for more than 40% of global energy use and one third of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Clearly, there is a need to address this on a larger scale”, said Patrick Thomas, CEO of Bayer MaterialScience. “The chemical industry offers real solutions for sustainable construction – Masdar city is a perfect example. Today’s agreement is testament to Bayer’s commitment to climate protection and to reducing the environmental impact of construction.”

Peter Vanacker, member of the Executive Committee of Bayer MaterialScience and global sponsor of the Bayer MaterialScience’s EcoCommercial Building Program added: "We are delighted to have this great opportunity to cooperate with Masdar in its efforts to pioneer sustainable construction and renewable energies. We look forward to this cooperation becoming a global model for sustainable commercial construction. "

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, said: "This cooperation with Bayer MaterialScience, through their EcoCommercial Building Program, represents a significant step forward in our collaborative efforts with leading industry partners to advance the scope of construction solutions in the market that are both economically feasible and environmentally sustainable. As a one-of-a-kind test bed, Masdar City is uniquely suited to host such sustainable programs.”

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Source: ME NewsWire

About Bayer MaterialScience:
With 2008 sales of EUR 9.7 billion, Bayer MaterialScience is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction and sports and leisure industries. Bayer MaterialScience has 30 production sites around the globe and employed approximately 15,100 people at the end of 2008. Bayer MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company.

More information available at www.bayermaterialscience.com and www.climate.bayer.com.
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About Masdar:

Masdar is an Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy company that develops low-carbon solutions for a more sustainable future. By establishing a leading education and research institution, financing promising technologies, developing large-scale utilities, and building the world’s first purpose built clean technology cluster and sustainble city, Masdar operates across the life-cycle of renewable energy technology at an unprecedented scale. Masdar is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Mubadala Development Company. For more information, please visit www.masdar.ae.

About Masdar City:

Masdar City is a clean-technology cluster that will be located in a sustainable city powered by renewable energy. This free zone in Abu Dhabi seeks to become a global centre for innovation, research, product development and light manufacturing in the fields of renewable energy and sustainable technologies. Leading multinational companies in the cleantech sector, as well as small- and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurial start-ups will locate R&D labs, marketing offices and headquarters in the city. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will base its headquarters in the city, while GE will build its first Ecomagination Centre at Masdar City.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Contact:

Bayer MaterialScience:
Andrea Knebel-Kyriakidis, phone: +49 214 30-70313
E-mail: andrea.knebel@bayermaterialscience.com

Masdar:
Kevin Healy, phone: +97 12 6531157
E-mail: khealy@masdar.ae