Compositebuild.com expands to help connect European construction industry with composites suppliers

BARCELONA, Spain – Sourcing composite materials for building applications in Europe is now much easier thanks to CompositeBuild.com, a website sponsored by Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH). The site connects architects, engineers, designers and builders with composite manufacturers who can provide high-quality materials to the construction industry.

CompositeBuild.com was recently expanded to include a growing network of European-based composites manufacturers serving the building and construction market. The site is designed to provide an easy-to-use resource for learning about and specifying composite building materials for various commercial and residential building projects.

“There is a tremendous opportunity to raise awareness of the performance and environmental benefits that composites can offer in building and construction applications,” said Bob Moffit, senior product manager for Ashland Performance Materials. “As we looked into the existing resources available for architects and designers to easily find information on composites, specifically those with ‘green’ attributes, we discovered there was a significant information gap that Ashland, together with our partners in the industry, could help to fill.”

The CompositeBuild.com website was launched in November 2010 at the GreenBuild Exposition in North America. The website has grown rapidly and is now open to all composite building materials manufacturers in Europe and North America, with plans for expansion to other regions. Fabricators of composite building materials or their distributors can be listed on the website free of charge. The interactive design of the website allows visitors to tour a residential or commercial building and find areas of construction where composite materials are a good fit.

“For decades, European architects and builders have been leading the effort to develop more environmentally friendly technologies and products that are not only efficient and cost-effective, but also provide design freedom and flexibility,” said Magnus Johansson, marketing manager, Ashland Performance Materials for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “Composites technologies will continue to play an increasingly important role in this movement, and we are excited to begin promoting this tool to residential and commercial building professionals together with the composites community in the European region.”

For more information about CompositeBuild.com, please visit the Ashland stand at D63 during the upcoming JEC Composites Show in Paris from March 29 – 31. At the exhibition, Ashland will showcase its residential concept house constructed almost entirely of composite materials.
Those interested in joining the CompositeBuild.com network also can visit the website or contact Magnus Johansson at mjohansson@ashland.com, or Bob Moffit at rlmoffit@ashland.com.

Ashland Performance Materials is the global leader in unsaturated polyester resins and epoxy vinyl ester resins. In addition, it provides customers with leading technologies in gelcoats, pressure-sensitive, structural and laminating adhesives and coatings.

In more than 100 countries, the people of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) provide the specialty chemicals, technologies and insights to help customers create new and improved products for today and sustainable solutions for tomorrow. Our chemistry is at work every day in a wide variety of markets and applications, including architectural coatings, automotive, construction, energy, personal care, pharmaceutical, tissue and towel, and water treatment. Visit www.ashland.com to see the innovations we offer through our five commercial units – Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients, Ashland Hercules Water Technologies, Ashland Performance Materials, Ashland Consumer Markets (Valvoline) and Ashland Distribution.

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