The Dow Chemical Company, the Official Chemical Company of the Olympic Games, has provided a variety of performance, comfort, and energy-efficiency solutions for use at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
A number of newly-built Olympic venues incorporate Dow’s silicone construction, polyurethane, and coating technologies, including the Modular Houses and the Olympic Village accommodations. These technology solutions are intended to reduce the buildings’ energy usage and to create comfortable environments for the athletes, attendees, media and drivers that will be living in them.
The walls and roofs of the Modular Houses, which will house the drivers that are responsible for transporting people on Olympic business, are insulated with PIR (polyisocyanurate) panels that incorporate Dow PAPI™ Polymeric MDI. The panels are designed to keep occupants warm in PyeongChang’s freezing February temperatures.
The Modular Houses were assembled within hours from pre-manufactured panels, cutting down construction costs by nearly half compared to traditional structures. The homes require roughly half the energy of standard EPS (expanded polystyrene), and are 98% recyclable.
“We’ve worked with South Korean partners such as SY Panel to create the next generation of cost-effective, sustainable Modular Houses using state-of-the-art insulation technology,” says Phillip Oh, Asia-Pacific commercial director for Dow Olympic & Sports Solutions. “Here at PyeongChang 2018, it is making a big impact on the built environment.”
The interior walls of the Olympic Village housing combine three different DOW technologies: ACRYSOL™ Rheology Modifiers, PRIMAL™ Acrylic Low VOC and Low Odor Emulsion Polymers, and WALOCEL™ Cellulosic. Taken together, these technologies provide a high-performance rheology profile, durability, and lower maintenance needs.
Some of the mattresses in the Olympic Village and in hotels across the host city use Dow VORANOL™ Technology to help athletes attain a more comfortable sleeping environment. “By collaborating with Alfome we are able to help offer athletes the foundation for a good night’s rest by contributing to a more comfortable sleeping environment,” says Oh. “VORANOL technology helps improve foam shape upon compression to create comfortable, breathable, flexible mattresses that stay cool to the touch and with reduced odor and emissions.”
Both the Modular Houses and the Olympic Village housing have been weather-sealed with Dow Corning® 1001 Perimeter Silicone Sealant, which is fire-resistant, UV resistant, and is stable at temperatures ranging from below -100 degrees to over 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
