NOVA Chemicals Creates Sustainable Building Products Business in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh-based NOVA Chemicals said it has created a wholly owned subsidiary to serve the global building and construction industry that fuses material science with innovation to create efficient, affordable, environmentally sound structures that offer builders and architects the flexibility to build in a responsible way.

The newly formed company, Syntheon Inc., specializes in high-efficiency construction systems and advanced materials component fabrication. Syntheon is also headquartered in Pittsburgh.

"Syntheon's building systems and products deliver sustainable benefits through the use of EPS - an efficient building material that produces energy savings, emissions reductions and increased R-value," the company said.

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy and other government officials were recently briefed on advances in sustainable building technologies at Syntheon's Pittsburgh office.

The meeting provided an opportunity for Syntheon to demonstrate several of its sustainable building and construction technologies, including:

* Accel-E® Steel Thermal Efficient Panel (S.T.E.P.) wall system - an innovative construction product from Syntheon's Acceleratated Building Technologies unit that fuses cold-formed steel framing and expandable polystyrene (EPS) insulation into lightweight composite panels for interior curtain walls
* Elemix® Concrete Additive - specially formulated polymers for use in concrete to deliver durable, lighter weight sustainable structures
* Geofoam - a lightweight, sustainable and easy-to-install engineering solution for highway construction and rehabilitation

"Our story resonates well with those seeking to improve local infrastructure," said Andy Claypole, President of Accelerated Building Technologies. "Accel-E wall panel meets the changing needs of the construction market in terms of rising material costs, shortage of skilled labor, increasing waste disposal costs and rising energy costs."

Syntheon’s global business is headquartered in Pittsburgh, with wholly-owned subsidiaries and joint venture partners in Chile and Mexico.

"Syntheon is a building science company - our vision and products align closely with the work Governor Rendell and others are doing to support sustainable building technology throughout Pennsylvania and the U.S.," said Tony Torres, Syntheon's Vice President Building and Construction Ventures.

For more information, go to www.syntheoninc.com.