| Sarah Susanka’s ‘Not So Big
Showhouse’ made better with BASF innovations
Construction technologies to be displayed at International Builders’
Show 2005
FLORHAM PARK, N.J., November 10, 2004 -- Innovative BASF material
and construction technologies will be a major component of Sarah
Susanka’s “Not So Big Showhouse” that will be
on display at the International Builders’ Show, January 13-16,
2005, in Orlando, Fla.
Susanka, whose best-selling books launched a movement to build
better, not just bigger, homes, will open the showhouse to more
than 100,000 visitors to highlight key developments in the growing
market for environmentally friendly materials and building practices.
The showhouse is being built in NorthLake Park at Lake Nona, Fla.,
a traditional neighborhood that includes features such as attractive
parks, thoughtful landscaping and pedestrian-friendly “front
porch” architecture.
“Builders and consumers are realizing that by reducing a
home’s footprint through better design, they can put the savings
into details that are high-quality, energy-efficient and environmentally
sound,” said Susanka. “Companies with vision like BASF
are offering the material solutions that support these benefits.”
Among the BASF technologies to be featured in the “Not So
Big Showhouse” are structural insulated panels (SIPs) made
with the company’s Styropor® expandable polystyrene (EPS)
resins. The ground on which the showhouse is constructed will be
treated with a termiticide from the company’s Agricultural
Products business. The house also includes metal roofing coated
with BASF’s ULTRA-Cool® system that meet the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s Energy Star® specifications for cool
roofs.
“Houses with SIPs in the base and walls are stronger, safer,
quieter, healthier and more energy efficient than stick-frame constructions,
and BASF’s Styropor EPS greatly contributes to these attributes,”
said Gene Zimmermann, Director of BASF’s Styropor EPS business
in North America. “For homebuilders, constructing a house
takes less time with SIPs because they’re very easy to install
and require little maintenance.”
Zimmermann said that additional benefits afforded to homebuilders
from selecting SIPs include reduced callbacks due to nail popping
and cracks due to lumber shrinking, product differentiation through
value-added performance and the allowance for a smaller heat / ventilation
/ air conditioning (HVAC) system to keep homes comfortable.
BASF’s ULTRA-Cool coatings give designers greater flexibility
in choosing colors for commercial and residential roofs by including
medium to darker colors in the palette. The coatings increase the
life expectancy of roofs by reducing expansion and contraction,
and they also help to mitigate the “Urban Heat Island”
effect, which leads to dramatically higher consumption of energy
for cooling purposes.
BASF recently introduced Superl SP II ULTRA-Cool® to the housing
and construction market. It is the only siliconized polyester system
in the metal construction industry that combines BASF’s energy-saving
cool-roof technology with improved weathering resistance and application
properties.
For Susanka, the “Not So Big Showhouse” serves as a
“hands-on” display, showcasing the principles set forth
in her best-selling books, “The Not So Big House,” “Creating
the Not So Big House,” “Not So Big Solutions for Your
Home” and, most recently, “Home by Design: Transforming
Your House into a Home.”
About Sarah Susanka
Best-selling author, architect and cultural visionary Sarah Susanka
has emerged as the leader of a movement that continues to shape
the future of the American home. With her first book, “The
Not So Big House” (1998), Susanka launched a revolution in
residential architecture that changed the way we think about our
homes, as have her next three books. Homeowners, designers, architects,
builders, realtors, planners and sustainability advocates around
the world have embraced her approach to residential architecture,
on which more information is available on the Internet at www.notsobighouse.com
or www.susanka.com.
BASF – The Chemical Company. We don’t make
a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you
buy better.®
BASF Corporation, headquartered in New Jersey, is the North American
affiliate of BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germany. We employ about 11,000
people in North America and had sales of approximately $9 billion
in 2003. For more information about BASF’s North American
operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit
www.basf.com/usa.
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company. Our goal is
to grow profitably and further increase the value of our company.
We help our customers to be more successful through intelligent
system solutions and high-quality products. BASF’s portfolio
ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural
products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. Through
new technologies we can tap into additional market opportunities.
We conduct our business in accordance with the principles of sustainable
development. In 2003, BASF had sales of approximately $42 billion.
BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS),
London (BFA), New York (BF), Paris (BA) and Zurich (AN). Further
information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.
For more information, contact:
David A. Elliott
BASF
Tel: (734) 324-6148
E-mail: elliotd1@basf.com
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