BYK Additives and Instruments recently announced the opening its new lab building in Wesel, Germany. The facility provides 8,000 sq m of lab space and 130 jobs. Since the end of 2011, some 80 lab staff have already been working there, primarily on developing innovative additives for plastics applications.

“This new building is an integral part of our company’s innovation strategy,” said Roland Peter, Ph.D., president, Division BYK Additives & Instruments. “Whoever is globally networked and wants to collaborate successfully on application development must create space for effective communication. The new laboratory building constitutes the ideal conditions for this due to its user-oriented planning and generous amount of space.”

Particular value was reportedly placed in the planning stage on the efficient use of energy. With the aid of near-surface geothermal energy, heat pumps and heat-recovery systems, primary energy consumption can be reduced by 30% against standard buildings. The facility’s construction materials consist of renewable or easily disposed materials. Likewise, the insulation and ventilation system are in compliance with the strict energy requirements. BYK Additives & Instruments has thus been able to meet all the necessary requirements for the LEED precertification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) under the Platinum standard and has received the official documentation from the USGBC (Green Building Council).

For additional information, visit www.byk.com.