anti-caking, free-flow and carrier agents
in food, feed and industrial applications.
As part of PPG’s specialty coatings and
materials business, the silica products
group serves customers through a global
network of manufacturing, research and
technical-support facilities. For more
information about PPG silica products,
visit www.ppgsilica.com.
American Chemistry
Council Launches Website
on Chemistry in Building &
Construction Materials
The American Chemistry Council
(ACC) has launched www.
BuildingWithChemistry.org, to provide
architects, material specifiers, interior
designers and other building and construction professionals with tools and
information about green building codes
and standards, materials selection, and
the role of chemistry in developing innovative, sustainable building materials.
“Many of the materials and products
used to build the homes, schools and of-
fice buildings where we live and work
every day rely on the safety, energy sav-
ings, durability and other sustainability
and performance benefits that the prod-
ucts of chemistry provide,” said Richard
Skorpenske, director of advocacy and
sustainability at Covestro, and chair
of ACC’s Building and Construction
Subcommittee. “We created this new
website to contribute to thoughtful, in-
formed decisions about the materials in
today’s innovative, modern and sustain-
able building applications.”
The website includes an interac-
tive graphic of a mixed use residential
building which highlights how chemical
ingredients are used in materials, from
polycarbonate panels in skylights, to
plastics in piping, to nylon and polyes-
ter fibers in carpeting. Individual pages
feature specific chemicals used in a range
of B&C applications, with information
on where the chemicals are used and the
functionality they provide.
The increased popularity of
green building design has given
rise to a variety of approaches
to guide architects, designers,
materials specifiers and builders in how
to build “green.” A “Green Building” section provides an overview of commonly
used standards, codes, certification systems and assessment tools, as well as examples of green building approaches by
building type.
In addition, a subpage on “Materials
Selection” highlights different approaches that specifiers, architects and designers can consider when choosing specific
materials and products to use in building
design and construction, taking into account factors such as a product’s sustainability, durability and carbon footprint,
among others. The section includes information on specific tools to help inform
materials selection decisions, such as life
cycle approaches, Environmental Product
Declarations, risk assessment and multi-attribute considerations.
