Dow insulation at Olympic Winter Games
Make housing comfortable and energy efficient
A RANGE of high-performance technology solutions powered by The Dow Chemical Company were used in several venues at the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. These included modular houses and the Olympic village.
Dow’s solutions were applied to help reduce energy usage while making accommodations comfortable for athletes, attendees, media and drivers.
With average February temperatures just above freezing, effective insulation was essential in PyeongChang. PIR (polyisocyanurate) panels incorporating Dow PAPI™ Polymeric MDI were used to insulate the walls and roofs of the modular houses that accommodated drivers who will be responsible for transporting people around the Olympic host city.
The modular houses are built from manufactured panels consisting of boards, insulation and foam. Constructed within hours, rather than days, for less than half the usual cost, these energy efficient structures help protect the environment as they require roughly half the energy compared to standard EPS and are 98% recyclable.
The modular houses were weather-sealed with durable, fire-resistant Dow Corning® 1001 Perimeter Silicone Sealant, which is inherently impervious to damaging ultraviolet (UV) light from sun, and, when cured, is stable at temperatures from -40°C to 150°C.
Besides helping create a more comfortable living environment, Dow is also contributing to a more comfortable sleeping environment. Some of the mattresses in the Olympic Village employ Dow VORANOL™ Technology in the slab foam to help the athletes get the quantity and quality of sleep that they need – 10 hours a night or more . Outside of the Olympic Village, VORANOL™ Technology is also employed in a number of mattresses in hotels across the host city.
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.