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Photo of Natural Fusion at Bayer Material Science's U.S. headquarters in Robinson, Pennsylvania. Enlarge image

The sun shines on Natural Fusion, now called Bayer Material Science's EcoCommercial Building Conference Center, in Pennsylvania.
(Courtesy of Kelly Kalmar)

Who: Penn State
What: Natural Fusion
Where:
Bayer Material Science
100 Bayer Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15205
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Public tours: Not available

Solar Decathlon 2009

Penn State: Fusing Nature and the Built Environment

Bayer Material Science, a sponsor of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009 Penn State team, purchased the Natural Fusion house for its U.S. headquarters in Robinson, Pennsylvania. This corporate campus near Pittsburgh also includes 200 acres of wetland reserve certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council. It is unknown whether the house has continued to serve as an EcoCommercial Building Conference Center after Bayer Material Science was purchased by Covestro.

When developing its house design, the Penn State team sought to integrate the built environment with natural surroundings. The resulting house, named Natural Fusion, blended these two elements throughout. Examples of this concept:

  • Recycled rubber-enhanced landscape mulch
  • Bio-based spray foam insulation
  • Plants added to the roof system for heat reduction

Natural Fusion’s technologies are actually as accessible to consumers as they are demonstrative of the core concept. The team chose market-ready products to show some of the possibilities for green living within reach.