04
June
2018
|
00:00
Europe/Amsterdam

School expansion in just a few weeks

Summary
Successful pilot project by the city administration, Covestro and Logelis
The Ernst Moritz Arndt School in Burscheid needs more space. For the 2017/2018 school year, a total of 129 children were enrolled in the Comprehensive All-Day School. This was a great challenge for the school authorities, because when there was an acute need for additional classrooms, quick and cost-effective solutions were needed.

The material manufacturer Covestro is breaking new ground when it comes to the rapid provision of affordable living space or – in this case – municipal buildings. Together with industrial partners, public authorities and society, the company develops appropriate models and supervises specific projects on site.

Innovative construction concept sets a precedent
One current example is the expansion of the Ernst Moritz Arndt School. Together with the City of Burscheid and Covestro, the French prefabricated building manufacturer Logelis built a new classroom with a floor space of 42 square meters on the grounds of the school garden. Thanks to the efficient construction of self-supporting polyurethane sandwich panels, it was possible to complete the shell within a week.

“We were impressed by the short construction time, because the move into the building was just as quick as into a container,” said Mayor Stefan Caplan on occasion of the handover of the keys to school principal Sonja Tippel and Ulrike Hanke, the chairwoman of the association for child care services at Burscheid – BiB e.V. “At the same time, the construction method offers us the greatest possible flexibility in architecture. This made it possible to adapt the size, layout and style of the building very well to the local conditions and our school needs”.

Cost and time advantages in construction and use
Pejman Norastehfar, who is in charge of the project at Covestro, explains the particular advantages of the concept: "The wall elements from Logelis are easy to manufacture and, thanks to their low weight, easy to transport. They are simply inserted into one another on site. That saves time and money."

The expert adds: “The building solution is also energy-efficient, because the good insulating properties of the rigid polyurethane foam ensure that it remains comfortably warm inside the building at cold outdoor temperatures and does not become too hot in summer. As a result, students can benefit from an optimal learning environment.”

Another pilot project: the “House of Nations”
The prototype of a multifunctional house in Bergisch Gladbach was built a year ago in a similarly efficient manner. This municipality was also faced with the challenge of constructing a building for permanent use quickly and inexpensively. With the “House of Nations”, Covestro – again in cooperation with the city administration and the company Logelis – presented a model that is universally transferable and has now also led to success in Burscheid.

Covestro has been supporting projects to create affordable housing in Asia for several years. They are based on the company's raw material expertise and customer know-how and have been implemented in close cooperation with local partners and authorities. The projects mainly benefit people who have become homeless after a natural disaster. A number of such units have already been set up in Malaysia and the Middle East.

A sustainable model
The buildings are designed for permanent use and are designed to ensure a high quality of life and the health of the residents. All projects are in line with Covestro's integrated sustainability concept in that they benefit society but have little impact on the environment. The model also contributes to meeting the United Nations' sustainability goals. More than ten million people are expected to benefit from this by 2025.

Pejman Norastehfar is responsible for Covestro's projects in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He can be reached at the e-mail address pejman.norastehfar@covestro.com, mobile at +49 172 615 4221.

About Covestro:
With 2017 sales of EUR 14.1 billion, Covestro 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, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,200 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2017.

Find more information at www.covestro.com.
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Forward-looking statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. 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 Covestro’s public reports which are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.