Pressemitteilung



News Release

Contact

Markus Kaiser

Tel. +49 6151 72-2031


September 29, 2015


Displaying Futures: Merck Shapes New Focus at Adaptive Architectures and Smart Materials Conference


  • Smart materials are opening up new perspectives in architecture
  • Extensive exhibition with the latest application examples from Merck Performance Materials including liquid crystal window technology
  • In cooperation with Harvard University during the 2015 Chicago Architecture Biennial
  • Part of the celebrations marking '125 Years of Merck in the United States'


Darmstadt, Germany, September 29, 2015 - Merck, a leading company for innovative, top-quality high-tech products in the healthcare, life science and performance materials sectors, today announced that it has launched an initiative entitled 'Technologies for Building and Adaptive Architectures' together with Harvard University, Graduate School of Design. The first expert conference in this series will be held on October 1 and 2, 2015 in Chicago. The theme is 'Adaptive Architectures and Smart Materials'. Leading architects, designers, urban planners and other practitioners will engage in an exchange with Merck experts on new technologies and materials that permit innovative functionalities and new designs for construction and urban planning. The event is one among many that Merck is using to mark its 125th anniversary in the United States.


Merck KGaA

Group Communications Performance Materials Phone: +49 (0)6151 72-2031

Frankfurter Strasse 250 Fax: +49 6151 72-912031

64293 Darmstadt E-Mail: pm_communications@merckgroup.com

www.merckgroup.com www.merck-pm.com



The conference will be opened by Inese Lowenstein, Head of the Display Materials business unit at Merck, who will explain the tremendous future prospects of the new technologies. According to Lowenstein, 'the new smart materials have the potential to fundamentally transform modern-day architecture and urban construction.'


Through its Performance Materials business, Merck has been making important contributions to this sector for many years now. These range from effect pigments to materials for organic photovoltaics and organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) up to liquid crystals for displays. Merck is the technology and market leader with its state-of-the-art liquid crystal mixtures and is continuously finding new applications for liquid crystals beyond displays. At the conference in Chicago, Merck will present liquid crystal window technology for switchable smart windows as well new areas of application for liquid crystals such as smart antennas and headlight systems. LC Window technology enables windows to be switched in just seconds from light to dark and vice versa to create a comfortable environment inside without the need for traditional shading solutions. Various options with regard to coloring are creating new options for the architectural design of windows and façades.


The conference will also feature an extensive exhibition with display items and the latest application examples from Merck Performance Materials such as photovoltaic modules and OLED cells. In addition, the operating principle of liquid crystal window technology will be demonstrated. The event in Chicago is part of the Merck 'Displaying Futures' initiative, which has been realized in recent years with high-caliber events at various locations in Asia.



Caption: At the conference in Chicago, Merck will present liquid crystal window technology for switchable smart windows. LC Window technology enables windows to be switched in just seconds from light to dark and vice versa to create a comfortable environment inside without the need for traditional shading solutions.


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Merck is a leading company for innovative, top-quality high-tech products in the healthcare, life science and performance materials sectors. The company has six businesses - Merck Serono, Consumer Health, Allergopharma, Biosimilars, Merck Millipore and Performance Materials - and generated sales of € 11.3 billion in 2014. Around 39,000 employees work for Merck in 66 countries to improve the quality of life for patients, to foster the success of customers, and to help meet global challenges. Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company - since 1668, the company has stood for innovation, business success and responsible entrepreneurship. Holding an approximately 70% interest, the founding family remains the majority owner of the company to this day. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are Canada and the United States, where the company operates as EMD Serono, EMD Millipore and EMD Performance Materials.


Merck will celebrate the grand opening of its Innovation Center at global headquarters in Darmstadt on October 1, 2015. The two-floor building, which has a surface area of over 1,500 square meters, offers room for ideas and exchange. It is to promote both the innovative potential of Merck employees and give external innovators the opportunity to develop their ideas with support from Merck. While the respective businesses will continue to drive research and development, the Innovation Center is intended to promote ideas arising either at the interfaces of or beyond the core businesses. Customer proximity and marketability are in the foreground.


More information on Harvard Design: Chicago and the Adaptive Architectures and Smart Materials Conference from October 1-2, 2015 can be found here.

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