Merck to display smart window technology at German trade fair

Merck, the world’s leading chemical and materials firm, said Monday that it would participate in the BAU 2015 exhibition, an international architecture, materials and systems trade show being held from Monday through Saturday (local time) in Munich.

At the trade fair, the firm will showcase its state-of-the-art materials technology including Liquid Crystal Windows, smart windowpanes that can control the amount of sunlight penetrating the glass to reduce energy consumption.

“We believe the liquid crystal window technology will be very promising in the future, and we view it as a further innovative application for liquid crystals,” said Inese Lowenstein, the new head of Merck’s display materials business unit. He took office earlier this month.

The LCW technology can be applied to all conventional window glass systems and grants architects more leeway in designing buildings.

An official said the newly developed LCW would help significantly reduce the energy consumption of glass buildings, which have recently been sprouting up in metropolitan cities across the world.

Around 20 percent and 15 percent of the total energy of a building is consumed by lighting and cooling systems, respectively, according to the German materials firm.

The company said various window sizes utilizing the LCW technology are being tested in pilot projects and it is working closely with established window manufacturers.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)