look what we did!Innovations From Polyurethane Manufacturers

American Institute of Architecture’s 2018 Conference

This year’s AIA Conference on Architecture’s theme is “A Blueprint for Better Cities.” With resilience and environmental impact remaining key issues in the creation of our living and working spaces, polyurethane continues to be an important part of the solution for architects.

The polyurethane industry — and the manufacturers who use polyurethane in their products — have long been sensitive to the various needs of architects and consumers when it comes to material selection. Polyurethane’s attributes of durability, insulation, performance and lightweight properties have made it a natural choice as architects seek to design energy-efficient buildings that can better withstand...

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New Ideas in Earthquake Resiliency

As our urban spaces become more densely populated, it’s important to ensure buildings and other structures are designed and built for an area’s particular challenges and threats. In earthquake-prone areas, that means finding unique ways to help dissipate and absorb the energy released by temblors and aftershocks.

Polyurethane offers a few different options for increasing earthquake resiliency. One technique is to fill cavities in walls and supports with polyurethane foam. In addition to acting as an energy-saving insulator, polyurethane in these spaces helps absorb shocks to the building’s structure.

In bridge and overpass construction, engineers are experimenting with rocking columns...

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Polyurethane Helps the Show Go on for a Historic Theater Space

Around the country, former theater spaces have often struggled to succeed after decades of neglect and competition from other forms of entertainment. But as interest in revitalizing these monuments to a bygone era has increased, many have found new life as cinemas, arts centers and even restaurants. Such was the case with the 14^th Street Theater in Cleveland’s historic theater district.

Back in the 1980s, when then-owners PlayhouseSquare were looking to renovate the aging building, they realized additional waterproofing and building insulation was necessary. They were interested in energy saving options, but also wanted to keep costs affordable. Enter spray...

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Keep Warm This Winter with Polyurethane

As fall begins and the days get cooler and shorter, it’s a good time to think ahead to the frosty days of winter. Making sure your house is properly prepared for the cold weather helps avoid potential headaches down the road.

Here are a few of the many ways in which polyurethane products can be used to help keep your home warm and comfortable this winter:

CONSTRUCT 2017 Begins!

The annual CONSTRUCT show is underway at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. For the next three days, construction industry professionals and cutting-edge building material manufacturers will meet to showcase the future of construction.

Polyurethane will have a strong showing. From polyurethane-based binders in composite building materials, insulation,  flooring, roofing and more, polyurethane is critical to today’s modern buildings, both commercial and residential.

Even if you can’t be at the show, you can follow all the action at #CONSTRUCT and #CON2017 on Twitter.

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Polyurethane Cuts Statue Manufacturing Time in Half

An art studio that designs and manufactures statues worldwide has recently been making use polyurethane products. Its typical manufacturing process takes 6 to 8 weeks; however, since the integration of Alchemie’s PU 3676, statues are being completed in as little as 2 to 3 weeks.

PU 3676 is a low viscosity, two-component polyurethane system that can be used to produce patterns, molds, models and prototypes with excellent fine-detail replication. PU 3676 can be filled with mineral or metallic fillers for reduced shrinkage and has rapid demold times even when cast in thin sections. That’s truly incredible!

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Polyurethane Helps Build the Future of Architecture at the AIA Conference

There’s a lot of excitement building up in Orlando over the next 3 days. Why? The annual American Institute of Architecture (AIA) Conference of Architecture begins today! Thomas Vonier, the AIA president, calls it “a collection of talented and visionary individuals who are dedicated to improving the quality of life for all people in all communities.”

This year’s exhibitions and speakers will focus on building a better tomorrow, and overcoming challenges that will lead to better living across the world. Architects are always looking for new solutions – and when polyurethane chemistry was created in 1952, they found...

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Accella Polyurethane Surface

Accella Performance Materials helped develop a unique architectural design of the USS Arizona Mall Memorial located on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson.

Accella provided specialty materials, including polyurethane materials and rubber flooring, for a full-scale deck outline of the iconic U.S. battleship that was sunk at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The full-scale deck, measuring 97-foot-wide and 597-foot-long, utilizes Accella materials traditionally used for outdoor athletic surfaces, similar to sport tracks. The 6-inch rubberized curb of the ship’s deck incorporated durable polyurethane and custom red granules to match the accompanying brick wall garden.

This...

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World of Concrete 2017

World of Concrete (WOC) is an annual, international event dedicated to the commercial concrete and masonry construction industries. WOC showcases industry suppliers and innovative products, machinery and technologies.

Let’s give special recognition to polyurethane for its contributions to the building and construction world. The versatility and flexibility of polyurethane allow its different forms to be applied across many problem areas. To fix sunken concrete, polyurethane foam can be injected through penny-sized holes in the existing concrete. The polyurethane foam then expands beneath the concrete surface to stabilize the weak material and fill empty spaces, causing the slab to rise...

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