Success at Ecobuild for Saint-Gobain

Saint-Gobain made its official UK exhibition debut at Ecobuild 2009 last week.  Attracting over 34,500 visitors over three days, the event was hailed as a huge success by the leading international construction materials company, which showcased over 70 innovative products from its UK manufacturing businesses at the show.

Saint-Gobain companies British Gypsum, Saint-Gobain Glass UK, Isover, Weber, Saint-Gobain PAM, Solaglas and Ecophon all had a significant presence on the Group stand.

This featured a refurbishment area and a ‘quiet room’, where visitors could escape for a few moments of peace and calm, as well as pods dedicated to energy efficiency, comfort and aesthetics and safety and security; featuring the latest products in these key areas.

Experts from Saint-Gobain companies also pulled in the crowds during Ecobuild’s extensive seminar programme.  Topics covered included ‘Insulation upgrade systems’ by Isover’s key accounts manager David Burton and ‘Lessons from Europe’ by head of innovation, Gerry Mitchell, as part of the ‘Insulate don’t generate’ seminar series.  Marketing manager for Weber, Mark Weaver, discussed ‘Hard to treat homes: insulating and revitalising solid wall properties,’ while Matthew Kershaw from Solaglas Sealed Units and Matthew Kirby from Solaglas presented ‘Glazing, a specifier’s guide’.

Mike Chaldecott, managing director of British Gypsum, comments: “Ecobuild has grown rapidly in recent years, attracting key bodies and Government figures as well as developing a loyal following among architectural, construction and design communities.  Saint-Gobain is committed to developing innovative materials and technologies for a more sustainable future, investing globally over £350-million annually in R&D, and the exhibition provided an ideal platform to promote our products and capabilities.”

Products displayed on Saint-Gobain’s stand at Ecobuild included Avancis, the next generation of photovoltaic panels developed in conjunction with Shell; Isover’s Ultimate U Protect, a new generation mineral wool insulation that combines top-level fire resistance, low weight and easy handling; GypWall EXTREME, a partitioning system from British Gypsum which gives performance above and beyond BS5234 Severe Duty; Solaglas’ SGG EcoClear®, a range of high performance, energy efficient double glazed units, designed specifically to achieve A, B and C BFRC Window Energy Ratings (WERs); weber.cem HB30, which is being extensively applied to social housing accommodation on the Springfield Estate in Stockwell, South East London, as part of an extensive regeneration scheme;  the GripTop™ access cover from Saint-Gobain PAM, designed to significantly improve road safety for cyclists and motorcyclists; and Combison Uno Ds acoustic ceiling tiles from Ecophon.