Cabot Corporation’s Aerogel Used in Insulating Plaster at UNESCO World Heritage Site

Cabot Corporation  announces its highly insulating silica aerogel was used in the renovation of the Mathildenhöhe, an artists’ colony in Darmstadt, Germany, which was recently named to the UNESCO World Heritage list. As part of the renovation, HASIT Trockenmörtel GmbH’s hydraulic lime plaster, Fixit 222, which contains Cabot’s aerogel technology, was used to produce a thermal insulating mineral-based plaster for the façade of the historic buildings. This is the first time Cabot’s aerogel was used at a UNESCO World Heritage site and at a historic site of this scale.

The renovation under the direction of the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, the State Office for Monument Preservation of Hessen and an international advisory committee, all concluded that the best solution for the insulation of the buildings at the Mathildenhöhe was an aerogel plaster. HASIT’s Fixit 222 containing Cabot’s aerogel was selected as an ideal solution given the product’s ability to meet the needs of the insulation criteria, increase energy efficiency by reducing the energy consumption, and preserve the external character of the buildings’ façade to comply with historic preservation standards.

“We are proud to be involved in the historic Mathildenhöhe renovation project with HASIT,” said Peter Pescatore, global business manager, Aerogel Business. “Through our collaboration with HASIT, we are able to deliver a solution that can minimize impact to the environment, considerably reduce heating and cooling energy consumption, effectively insulate, and save energy and money, while also adhering to the important preservation guidelines that needed to be met for the site to obtain UNESCO World Heritage status.”

Aerogel is known as the world’s best insulating solid material. HASIT’s Fixit 222 with Cabot’s aerogel has a low thermal conductivity that provides insulation up to three times more effective than conventional mineral-based insulating plaster. Furthermore, the material meets fire safety and flammability requirements without using environmentally hazardous flame retardants.