28 The many faces of polycarbonate
With a plentiful range of benefits, not least its versatility, James Patrick from Kingspan Insulated Panels explains why designers can view polycarbonate as an architectural material in its own right
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ntroducing as much natural light into a building as possible is a key maxim of good design. It helps to reduce energy consumption, creates healthier environments, and has been proven to have beneficial effects on occupants such as increasing productivity, speeding healing and reducing the risk of depression. Too much glass on the other hand, can lead to uncomfortable levels of glare and over- heating. Enter polycarbonate – a material that can allow excellent levels of daylight through both roof and walls, without the same risk of too much glare and heat.
Characteristics
At a fraction the weight of glass or acrylic, polycarbonate is nevertheless extremely strong – so much so that it is a material that is used to make bulletproof police shields. It is easy to mould and extrude, so it can be manufactured to integrate seamlessly with other building components such as insulated panel systems. Best of all, it can admit the same amount of natural light as glass, but offers high levels of thermal resistance, helping to reduce solar heat gain, as well as the capacity to reduce glare and increase uniformity of illumination through light diffusion.
Unlike some alternative materials that are commonly used for the same kind of applications, polycarbonate is highly resist- ant to UV degradation, so will not yellow or lose translucency over time, barely reducing its levels of light transmission for decades. Together with its strength, this adds durability to its list of virtues. Tints can also be added to the normally clear material to add a whole new design dimension through the use of colour and enhance light diffusion.
There is a perception that polycarbonate is sensitive to thermal expansion when through fixed, increasing the possibility of stress cracking in roof and wall light applications. However, multiwall
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ADF MAY 2018
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