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Polycarbonate: The Latest Architecture and News

Building With Recycled Polycarbonate: The SaveEnergy Product Line

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Sustainability is much more than simply deciding for or against a specific product. It is a concept that must be integrated into the way we build and design architecture, as well as the intelligent use of existing buildings and their potential renovations. From a sustainability perspective, demolishing an old building is just as unsustainable as building a new one. Both use large amounts of embodied energy that can be avoided when all planning parties consider new ways of working and collaborate more closely.

In this sense, the efficient use of raw materials and the reduction of waste for reuse is essential. Polycarbonate in façades, for example, has a life cycle of at least 20 years on average and can be recycled and reused in many ways, thus doubling its useful life until it can no longer be usefully recycled.

Translucency in 7 Projects of Contemporary Brazilian Architecture

The use of translucent materials in Brazilian architecture has been a growing trend in recent years. Translucent laminated glass, polycarbonate and acrylic are just a few of them. They have different advantages and disadvantages regarding cost, impact resistance, and thermal and acoustic insulation. What outlines the common benefit between them is the constant dialogue they provide between interior and exterior.

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Upcycling Polycarbonate: Trapezoidal and Corrugated Sheets from Waste

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Sustainability needs to go further beyond inspiring speeches and promises, with visible, concrete actions. In order to see this change, it is essential for individuals, companies and governments to take responsibility and act in a sustainable manner in their daily lives and practices. By taking into account the environmental and social impacts of their decisions and seeking more conscious and responsible alternatives, they can take steps to ensure a sustainable future for the next generations. In the construction industry this is even more urgent. Responsible for a large amount of solid waste and greenhouse gas emissions, it is essential for this industry to adopt sustainable practices, such as recycling, to minimize environmental impacts.

However, even though product recycling processes have significantly advanced in recent years, there are still certain challenges associated with the use of recycled materials. This is due to a variety of factors, such as performance and durability, or even due to the difficulty of obtaining suitable raw materials. But there are also successful examples that show the possibilities of recycled materials.

Architectural Polycarbonate Systems: Transforming Daylight into a Powerful Tool

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In architecture, the concept of daylighting refers to when buildings allow natural light inside to provide a number of benefits, from enhanced visual comfort and productivity, to improved health and higher energy savings. However, to reach optimum levels of sunlight, reaching a balance is key; while too much can produce an uncomfortable glare and tremendous amounts of heat, too little can lead to health deficiencies and a greater dependency on artificial lighting. In that sense, the qualities of polycarbonate panels are unmatched, becoming an attractive choice for facades and roofs by achieving a soft, diffused light with varying levels of transparency, brightness and opacity.

Why Use Translucent Polycarbonate on Building Facades?

Whether blending in or standing out, embodying transparency or solidity, expressing coarseness or softness, a façade is the medium through which we engage with architecture. It tells a story and can often set the tone for the rest of the interior. But apart from defining a purely visual experience, a building’s envelope must also be practical, durable and have the ability to properly manage natural lighting and ventilation needs. After all, by being the point of contact with the outside, it is responsible for mitigating sounds and providing protection from climatic conditions, such as wind, rain, heat and humidity. Therefore, when designing a facade, it is important to consider a balance between performance and a beautiful aesthetic. Of course, many materials successfully meet these criteria. But when it comes to creating a comforting, light-filled ambiance while ensuring resistance, ease of installation and versatility, the properties of translucent polycarbonate panels seem to be unparalleled.

How to Design and Install Seamless Translucent Polycarbonate Facades

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Translucent polycarbonate panels boast unique and striking aesthetics while simultaneously maintaining efficient functionality. They can add depth and color to a façade and may adapt to meet a wide range of performance requirements, from temperature resistance to impact resistance to UV protection and more. Rodeca, a leading company in the polycarbonate panel industry, offers high-quality products with high customizability vis-à-vis colors, transparency levels, treatments, profiles, sizes, joint systems, and more. Below is a detailed list of these many options, accompanied by diagrams and installation steps. We also discuss several case studies where polycarbonate facades have been used to great success, taking full advantage of the options available alongside the intrinsic aesthetic qualities of the translucent panels to complement and elevate their designs.

Alice Medical Clinic / noak studio + acr arquitetura

Alice Medical Clinic / noak studio + acr arquitetura - Interior Photography, Wellness InteriorsAlice Medical Clinic / noak studio + acr arquitetura - Interior Photography, Wellness InteriorsAlice Medical Clinic / noak studio + acr arquitetura - Interior Photography, Wellness InteriorsAlice Medical Clinic / noak studio + acr arquitetura - Interior Photography, Wellness InteriorsAlice Medical Clinic / noak studio + acr arquitetura - More Images+ 32

  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  540
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  20201
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Atlas Concorde, AutoDesk, Indusparquet, Arkos, B DESIGN, +15

Expressive Polycarbonate: Creating Colored Translucent Facades

Polycarbonate has become an alluring alternative to glass in facades, as it has different levels of translucency and can provide optimal transmission and diffusion of light. Moreover, it is light, flexible, recyclable, durable, resistant to impact, and includes UV protection, in addition to resisting temperatures between -40°C and 115°C. But beyond its functional properties, this thermoplastic also provides wide-ranging aesthetic opportunities, allowing architects to create unusually dynamic and expressive facades.

Fortaleza Subway Extension / Fernandes Arquitetos Associados

Fortaleza Subway Extension / Fernandes Arquitetos Associados - Exterior Photography,           Metro StationFortaleza Subway Extension / Fernandes Arquitetos Associados - Exterior Photography,           Metro StationFortaleza Subway Extension / Fernandes Arquitetos Associados - Exterior Photography,           Metro StationFortaleza Subway Extension / Fernandes Arquitetos Associados - Exterior Photography,           Metro StationFortaleza Subway Extension / Fernandes Arquitetos Associados - More Images+ 37

  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  114183 ft²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2012
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  AutoDesk, Arkos, Deca, Docolo, Dânica, +1

Forca Estudo Personalizado School / Pianca Arquitetura

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Vila Progredior, Brazil

Polycarbonate for Interiors: 8 Examples of Translucent Architecture Indoors

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Diversifying the materials of an interior space can greatly improve its depth and visual interest. At the same time, adding partitions or other delineations of internal space can help organize flow, circulation, and visibility. Polycarbonate, a type of lightweight, durable thermoplastic, is an excellent medium for both functions.

In its raw form, polycarbonate is completely transparent, transmitting light with nearly the same efficacy as glass. However, it is also lighter and stronger than glass and tougher than other similar plastics such as acrylic, polystyrene, ABS, or nylon, making it a good choice for designers seeking durable, impact and fire resistant materials that still transmit light. Like glass, it is a natural UV filter and can be colored or tinted for translucency, yet it is also prized for its flexibility, allowing it to be shaped into any size or shape. Finally, it is easily recyclable because it liquefies rather than burning, making it at least more environmentally friendly than other thermoset plastics. For example, recycled polycarbonate can be chemically reacted with phenol in a recycling plant to produce monomers that can be turned back into plastic.

T.R. House / Andrade Morettin Arquitetos Associados

T.R. House / Andrade Morettin Arquitetos Associados - Interior Photography, HousesT.R. House / Andrade Morettin Arquitetos Associados - Interior Photography, HousesT.R. House / Andrade Morettin Arquitetos Associados - Exterior Photography, HousesT.R. House / Andrade Morettin Arquitetos Associados - Exterior Photography, Houses, FacadeT.R. House / Andrade Morettin Arquitetos Associados - More Images+ 16

Carapicuíba, Brazil
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  469
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2016
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  AutoDesk, Bona, Andanda, Colormix, Deca, +6

What Exactly is a Polycarbonate Translucent Facade?

Translucent facades are light glazing panels used on the exterior of buildings, protecting the structure from weather damage, dampness, and erosion. Its composition of polycarbonate microcells creates a soft, naturally diffused light with a wide range of possible colors, brightnesses, and opacities.

By fixing these panels in place with concealed joints, it’s possible to hide unsightly building elements and assist in protecting users from harmful UV rays, while also ensuring maximum thermal conduction. Individuals who use them will notice a reduction in energy bills because they use the sun’s natural light to heat and illuminate buildings, creating very attractive indoor environmental conditions for different uses. 

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This Adjustable Tensegrity Structure is Constructed From Just Two Structural Elements

This investigation by Kuan-Ting Lai, developed as part of his thesis on Reconfigurable Systems of Tensegrity at the University of Stuttgart, is an exploration of the capabilities of structural principles in creating transformable architectural structures.

The project, a prototype made of pneumatic cylinders and polycarbonate panels, explores different methods of reconfiguration based on the basic rules of tensegrity, demonstrating the potential to rapidly adjust the lighting or ventilation conditions offered by the structure.

In Progress: Staten Island Animal Care Center / Garrison Architects

In Progress: Staten Island Animal Care Center / Garrison Architects - Image 8 of 4
Courtesy of Garrison Architects

The main objective behind the design for the new Staten Island Animal Care Center was to create a high quality environment for the animals, staff and visitors. The building is sheathed in a highly insulating, translucent polycarbonate envelope. This provides higher performance in comparison to typical glass and maximizes the benefits of natural light. The roof of the outer perimeter housing the animals is raised above a lower interior roof plane, which covers other shelter functions. This configuration permits the daylight to enter the facility on multiple sides. Natural ventilation is encouraged along the periphery with the use of a passive air ventilation system. A sophisticated mechanical system that uses heat recovery to feed heat gain energy back into the system is incorporated into the design to provide constant fresh air exchange.

Architect: Garrison Architects Location: Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA Project Area: 5,500 sqf Renderings: Courtesy of Garrison Architects