Polycarbonate is a high performing thermoplastic that is widely used in building and construction products from windows and skylights to wall panels and roof domes to exterior elements for LED lighting.
Unlike thermoset plastic, thermoplastics can be heated, cooled and reheated again without significant degradation. It can be easily formed into a variety of shapes and structures and can be cold-bent on site to form a curved surface. Multiwall polycarbonate sheets create additional air pockets around the building, improving its thermal performance making it an increasingly popular choice for cladding and roofing.
Polycarbonate is also an amorphous material, meaning that it does not exhibit the ordered characteristics of crystalline solids.
Once a useful, if basic, material used in greenhouses and roofs, polycarbonate is now a Thoroughly Modern Material. Aside from the aesthetic possibilities it offers to projects like those above, polycarbonate has a plethora of other attributes which could help explain its increasing attraction to architects. Due to its strength, lightness, and easy installation, polycarbonate is rapidly becoming everyman material. Used to let light in with its translucent properties, buildings built with polycarbonate can appear permeable by day and glow from within by night. Its inherently prefab -nature makes it a strong contender in both small and large projects. Through its use in schools, offices, libraries and even museums, the man-made polymer has earned its place by being as efficient as it is expressive.
• Polycarbonate is lightweight and thus often used as an alternative to glass. Polycarbonate can be used in place of glass in a variety of window and skylight .
• Greenhouses
• Noise barrier
• Security glazing —strengthening prisons, guard booths, bank teller shields, convenience stores, hurricane shutters, hockey rink surrounds and more.
• Safety eyewear
• Clear tubes for sports equipment – prototypes
Municipal Sports Hall, Spain, by BCQ
Translucent plastic panels with a colourful pixelated backdrop form the walls of this sports hall in Girona, creating a visually lightweight addition with an ethereal quality that matches the colours of the sky.
Casa Policarbonat, Spain, by Bunyesc Arquitectes
To enhance the thermal efficiency of this old house, Bunyesc Arquitectes added a polycarbonate facade. It forms a layer of external insulation, but also helps to passively heat the interiors.
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