 "Silicones make energy-efficient buildings a reality: Jean-Paul Hautekeer, Dow Corning")
Silicones are most versatile materials used across wide range of industries. Increasing urbanisation and rising need for energy-efficient buildings (especially high-rises) are leading to growth in demand for silicone based materials.
In this interaction with Rakesh Rao, Jean-Paul Hautekeer, Global Marketing Director, High Performance Building Solutions, Dow Corning Corporation, who was recently in Mumbai, explains the advantage of using silicones in construction industry and its market potential in India.
What are the emerging applications of silicone in construction industry?
Silicones enable, protect, strengthen, and preserve our offices, homes, schools, hospitals, workplaces, and cultural centres. Silicones make other materials work better and longer and give us new design options. Applications containing silicones not only outperform and outlast organic weatherproofing materials, but they also enable innovative applications that would otherwise be impossible.
There are many conventional and also more innovative solutions in the growing portfolio of silicone applications in the construction industry, all providing the proven performance of the silicone technology.
Structural glazing: Silicone sealants adhere glass, metal and stone panels firmly to the sides of buildings enabling their façade with design flexibility and structural soundness under extreme weather conditions worldwide
Weatherproofing: Silicone sealants prevent damaging water leaks throughout buildings. They also reduce drafts, improve energy efficiency, and help create healthier, more comfortable living spaces.
Waterproofing chemicals: Silicone water repellents protect stone, masonry, wood, and concrete substrates from water damage. They are also used to manufacture more water-resistant building materials used on the interior and exterior of buildings, increasing their longevity and decreasing their environmental foot-print.
Impact resistance glazing: Silicones help maintain safety by keeping glass in its frame, reducing injuries caused due to flying glass during a disaster
Window and door manufacturing: Silicone sealants enable automated high-speed manufacturing of top-performing windows, doors and building curtainwalls.
ALSO READ: Tier 2 & 3 towns have retained their buoyancy: Sameer Nagpal, Shalimar Paints
Some of the new, innovative solutions are giving architects more solutions to design their dream plans while meeting the strongest energy challenges. Silicon based solutions in high performance insulation, such as the Dow Corning Architectural Insulation Module (AIM) help architects and facade specialists to benefit from the high vision share, floor space gains while not compromising on the design freedom. High performance insulation solutions also include insulation blankets for facades, windows and doors to enhance thermal performance in buildings by removing thermal bridges; besides air barrier solutions to enable more energy efficient buildings with protection from air and moisture penetration.
What are the growth drivers of silicone market in construction industry?
Up to 40% of our energy is used, we should say wasted, in erecting and operating buildings while it is proven today that a building can be designed to be ‘net zero’ or even positive contributor. When the world realised this challenge a couple of years ago, it became obvious that silicone technologies could help here and play a key role in helping architects and consultants in their green design challenges.
The other growth drivers are obviously the global urbanisation trends and the concentration of multi generation population in concentrated areas where buildings will need to provide efficient possibilities for the people to work, live and develop themselves in harmony. Those multi-usage benefits of buildings increasingly require technologies that are efficient, durable, cost effective and versatile, and are very well aligned with what silicone technology can bring.
Last but not the least, water and health are also drivers that will influence how a building will be designed and erected and will require technologies well aligned to the efficient usage of water and the preservation of healthy living environment. Silicone materials by essence are materials with favourable carbon footprint, bio compatibility and low volatility.
How is the market potential for silicone material in construction industry?
With growing population, increased emphasis on energy savings and need for creating safer, healthier environments, silicone and silicon-based solutions are becoming a big part of buildings and construction solutions, the world over. Our portfolio today includes a super insulation technology called Architectural Insulation. Such technology is 5 to 10 times more performing than conventional insulation technology. This solution allow architect to design glass facade while meeting the most stringent energy performances requirements.
ALSO READ: India remains a strategic country for DuPont: Dr Rajeev A Vaidya
For the future, we are developing additional silicon based solutions for lighting, leveraging the successful use of silicone in today’s LED lamp to expand into next generation luminaires and light guide, a revolution of how design in lighting will coincide with energy performances.
Another striking developing is silicone based liquid crystal to build switchable glazing system that will dynamically manage the light and heat in building through the use of switchable film incorporated in windows.
This is in addition to our existing, extensive range of silicone solutions for structural glazing in facades, insulating glazing and weatherproofing, as well as our more traditional silicone sealant products for use in interiors like in the bathroom, kitchen, mirror and many other diverse bonding and sealing applications.
How is urbanisation in India leading to increase in demand for silicone material in construction industry?
Dow Corning works to cater to customer needs most of which are linked to the mega trends that we observe in emerging markets. India has seen a surge in construction and infrastructure projects over the past few years as a result of growing need to create urban spaces, fast growing cities beyond the metros and the need to stand out in efficiency and design appeal.
Be it airports, tall buildings, residential projects, we have seen silicones play a major role in being a vital component in making energy efficient buildings and structures a reality. The demand for silicones in high performance buildings has remarkably increased over the past decade as the mega trends have also undergone various changes. Customer needs for silicones in construction have grown more aligned to these changing business environments in India.
What are the challenges before silicone material makers in India?
India is a unique market when it comes to silicones and we at Dow Corning find it to be highly attractive more than challenging when it comes to silicone penetration in the market place. There are significant opportunities here to expand our business. The size and fragmentation of the Indian market may also be a challenge for companies like us and we need to work hard to find distribution network and product packaging solutions that can reach the final customer at the right place, at the right time and with the exact solutions, which may not always be easy in a country like India.
ALSO READ: Dow Corning to provide training program for Indian construction industry
To overcome any potential concern in price-sensitive markets, we emphasise the value, performance enhancing features and unique attributes these products offer. As a result, Indian manufacturers find their products can secure a higher price point.
What are your growth plans?
Silicones and construction solutions are growing to be well integrated both in developed and emerging economies. At Dow Corning, we aim to showcase our silicone technology and its benefits to the various stakeholders in the construction industry, thereby creating the awareness of silicones and Dow Corning. So far as positioning ourselves is concerned, we will look at two factors.
First, we are the only company in this field who is really global. So, we are equally represented in Europe, America and Asia. This is an important aspect because this market, today, is becoming global.
Second, we believe in supplying and servicing our customers from wherever it makes sense to do so, in terms of shortening lead times and serving the customer more effectively. Our global presence helps us to do this.
In this interaction with Rakesh Rao, Jean-Paul Hautekeer, Global Marketing Director, High Performance Building Solutions, Dow Corning Corporation, who was recently in Mumbai, explains the advantage of using silicones in construction industry and its market potential in India.
What are the emerging applications of silicone in construction industry?
Silicones enable, protect, strengthen, and preserve our offices, homes, schools, hospitals, workplaces, and cultural centres. Silicones make other materials work better and longer and give us new design options. Applications containing silicones not only outperform and outlast organic weatherproofing materials, but they also enable innovative applications that would otherwise be impossible.
There are many conventional and also more innovative solutions in the growing portfolio of silicone applications in the construction industry, all providing the proven performance of the silicone technology.
Structural glazing: Silicone sealants adhere glass, metal and stone panels firmly to the sides of buildings enabling their façade with design flexibility and structural soundness under extreme weather conditions worldwide
Weatherproofing: Silicone sealants prevent damaging water leaks throughout buildings. They also reduce drafts, improve energy efficiency, and help create healthier, more comfortable living spaces.
Waterproofing chemicals: Silicone water repellents protect stone, masonry, wood, and concrete substrates from water damage. They are also used to manufacture more water-resistant building materials used on the interior and exterior of buildings, increasing their longevity and decreasing their environmental foot-print.
More From This Section
Impact resistance glazing: Silicones help maintain safety by keeping glass in its frame, reducing injuries caused due to flying glass during a disaster
Window and door manufacturing: Silicone sealants enable automated high-speed manufacturing of top-performing windows, doors and building curtainwalls.
ALSO READ: Tier 2 & 3 towns have retained their buoyancy: Sameer Nagpal, Shalimar Paints
Some of the new, innovative solutions are giving architects more solutions to design their dream plans while meeting the strongest energy challenges. Silicon based solutions in high performance insulation, such as the Dow Corning Architectural Insulation Module (AIM) help architects and facade specialists to benefit from the high vision share, floor space gains while not compromising on the design freedom. High performance insulation solutions also include insulation blankets for facades, windows and doors to enhance thermal performance in buildings by removing thermal bridges; besides air barrier solutions to enable more energy efficient buildings with protection from air and moisture penetration.
What are the growth drivers of silicone market in construction industry?
Up to 40% of our energy is used, we should say wasted, in erecting and operating buildings while it is proven today that a building can be designed to be ‘net zero’ or even positive contributor. When the world realised this challenge a couple of years ago, it became obvious that silicone technologies could help here and play a key role in helping architects and consultants in their green design challenges.
The other growth drivers are obviously the global urbanisation trends and the concentration of multi generation population in concentrated areas where buildings will need to provide efficient possibilities for the people to work, live and develop themselves in harmony. Those multi-usage benefits of buildings increasingly require technologies that are efficient, durable, cost effective and versatile, and are very well aligned with what silicone technology can bring.
Last but not the least, water and health are also drivers that will influence how a building will be designed and erected and will require technologies well aligned to the efficient usage of water and the preservation of healthy living environment. Silicone materials by essence are materials with favourable carbon footprint, bio compatibility and low volatility.
How is the market potential for silicone material in construction industry?
With growing population, increased emphasis on energy savings and need for creating safer, healthier environments, silicone and silicon-based solutions are becoming a big part of buildings and construction solutions, the world over. Our portfolio today includes a super insulation technology called Architectural Insulation. Such technology is 5 to 10 times more performing than conventional insulation technology. This solution allow architect to design glass facade while meeting the most stringent energy performances requirements.
ALSO READ: India remains a strategic country for DuPont: Dr Rajeev A Vaidya
For the future, we are developing additional silicon based solutions for lighting, leveraging the successful use of silicone in today’s LED lamp to expand into next generation luminaires and light guide, a revolution of how design in lighting will coincide with energy performances.
Another striking developing is silicone based liquid crystal to build switchable glazing system that will dynamically manage the light and heat in building through the use of switchable film incorporated in windows.
This is in addition to our existing, extensive range of silicone solutions for structural glazing in facades, insulating glazing and weatherproofing, as well as our more traditional silicone sealant products for use in interiors like in the bathroom, kitchen, mirror and many other diverse bonding and sealing applications.
How is urbanisation in India leading to increase in demand for silicone material in construction industry?
Dow Corning works to cater to customer needs most of which are linked to the mega trends that we observe in emerging markets. India has seen a surge in construction and infrastructure projects over the past few years as a result of growing need to create urban spaces, fast growing cities beyond the metros and the need to stand out in efficiency and design appeal.
Be it airports, tall buildings, residential projects, we have seen silicones play a major role in being a vital component in making energy efficient buildings and structures a reality. The demand for silicones in high performance buildings has remarkably increased over the past decade as the mega trends have also undergone various changes. Customer needs for silicones in construction have grown more aligned to these changing business environments in India.
What are the challenges before silicone material makers in India?
India is a unique market when it comes to silicones and we at Dow Corning find it to be highly attractive more than challenging when it comes to silicone penetration in the market place. There are significant opportunities here to expand our business. The size and fragmentation of the Indian market may also be a challenge for companies like us and we need to work hard to find distribution network and product packaging solutions that can reach the final customer at the right place, at the right time and with the exact solutions, which may not always be easy in a country like India.
ALSO READ: Dow Corning to provide training program for Indian construction industry
To overcome any potential concern in price-sensitive markets, we emphasise the value, performance enhancing features and unique attributes these products offer. As a result, Indian manufacturers find their products can secure a higher price point.
What are your growth plans?
Silicones and construction solutions are growing to be well integrated both in developed and emerging economies. At Dow Corning, we aim to showcase our silicone technology and its benefits to the various stakeholders in the construction industry, thereby creating the awareness of silicones and Dow Corning. So far as positioning ourselves is concerned, we will look at two factors.
First, we are the only company in this field who is really global. So, we are equally represented in Europe, America and Asia. This is an important aspect because this market, today, is becoming global.
Second, we believe in supplying and servicing our customers from wherever it makes sense to do so, in terms of shortening lead times and serving the customer more effectively. Our global presence helps us to do this.