Polycarbonate for Interior Design and Architecture
A FAR SUPERIOR ALTERNATIVE TO TRADITIONAL GLASS
Utilizing polycarbonate within Interior Design and Architecture projects can offer a wide spectrum of design solutions. It is the perfect medium for any project where natural or artificial lighting, color, or safety plays a key role in securing a sense of space and style.
Similarly, polycarbonate can be applied to architectural enclosures, such as elevators, capsules or elevated terraces. As compared to glass, polycarbonate benefits from the properties of being light in weight, and can be formed into highly complex shapes, not to mention its far superior safety and durability properties.
So whether applied to facades, colored panels, interior lighting spaces, skylights, elevators, terraces or roofs, polycarbonate will offer you far superior design freedom and unrivalled safety properties.
The structure of polycarbonate is composed of microcell panels. Microcell panel technology reduces the need for artificial light and favors uniformity in the diffusion of natural light, thus achieving energy-efficient facades which enhance the overall feeling of luminosity within any interior living space.
POLYCARBONATE WINDOWS OFFER INFINITE DESIGN SOLUTIONS
As compared to glass, polycarbonate will never limit the imagination of architectural and interior designers. Aside of its exceptional durability, polycarbonate can be molded into near-infinite shapes through extremely complex and compound curvatures.
POLYCARBONATE WINDOWS ARE 250 TIMES TOUGHER THAN GLASS
Coated Polycarbonate for interior design and architecture is also the perfect solution where safety concern is of paramount importance. Capable of withstanding impacts of up to 250 times that of glass, polycarbonate is the perfect solution for internal elevators, external vista domes and capsules, or other external facilities where passenger safety and protection may be of concern.
Furthermore, when a silicate hard coating is applied, modern polycarbonate formulations will withstand scratches to the same level as glass and over time no longer suffers from the previous issues of fading or turning yellow.


Polycarbonate for Interior Design
KEY ADVANTAGES
Modern polycarbonate has vastly superior impact strength as compared to glass and will not shatter when exposed to high strains or blunt force. Crack resistance is especially valuable – representing just one of the many reasons polycarbonate is used in fighter jet canopies and windows.
Therefore, polycarbonate windows can be coated to a hardness comparable to glass. Therefore, these windows resist scratching, and many chemicals commonly used to wash windows or interior design features.
Furthermore, laminated glass is also subject to delamination – where the bonding between layers fails – displaying unsightly patterns known as “traveling air pockets.” Aside from being aesthetically unpleasant, over time, these air pockets can seriously diminish visibility around the edges of the affected transparencies.
At less than half the weight of glass — (SG: 1.2 vs. 2.45) — polycarbonate is an excellent alternative, especially where weight and structural integrity and strength play a key factor in design.
Generally, flat unprocessed glass is less expensive to purchase than polycarbonate. However, tempered glass, such as used in most vehicles, is about equivalent in cost. Nevertheless, formed and/or laminated glass will be far more costly to produce than modern polymers and is always limited since it is far less maleable where complex shapes are required.
Above all, if a window is to have a more defined shape, with complex curvatures, the forming tools for glass are usually made from steel or ceramic and are very expensive to produce.
By contrast, the tools used for forming polycarbonate windows are generally made from fiberglass-reinforced resin. As such, the difference in tooling costs can be substantial; a consideration that becomes far more important for low-volume production cycles.
Although glass can be formed into curved shapes – due to its restrictive malleability – the finished shape will be quite limited, with complex shapes being far more challenging and costly to achieve.
By contrast, modern polycarbonate can be easily formed into far more radical compound shapes while retaining excellent optical properties and minimum aberration. These properties are truly advantageous for designers who wish to depart from traditional shapes and produce a shape which is farm more dramatic and eye-catching.
Polycarbonate transmits more light than glass; in fact, up to 90% of visible light. By contrast, mineral glass transmits between 80-90%, depending on the type of glass.
In cases where laminated glass has several layers, such as ballistic formulations, the image observed through the pane tends to adopt a greenish hue, whilst polycarbonate remains neutral.
The thermal conductivity of polycarbonate is considerably superior to laminated glass. With current fuel costs rising dramatically building insulation is at the forefornt of new architectural designs, particularly with skylights or windows where lower running costs for heating and air-conditioning are ever more important.
Equally, Polycarbonate offers 99.99% UV blocking as compared to 25% for glass. Similarly, up to 40% of infra-red is blocked compared to 0% for glass, depending on the tint being used.
This becomes more apparent for personnel working in hot environments, or where strong daylight conditions are required. The insulating properties of polycarbonate, offer a more comfortable environment, and also protect fabrics, paintings and other decorative artefacts from the harsh properties of sunshine entering a dwelling.
Although polycarbonate is softer by nature in its raw form, thanks to the many advances achieved with technology, and through the application of silicate coating, polycarbonate can achieve a hardness approaching that of glass.
The silicate coating affords far superior protection, thus resisting most scratches and making the transparencies impervious to yellowing and chemical attacks.
What Polycarbonate Can do for You
LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES FOR INTERIOR DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE
If you wish to push the boundaries of your imagination while providing the highest level of safety to your customers, and the assurance of security to your investors, then coated polycarbonate is the best transparency material you can use for your interior design or architectural project, bar none.
Where polycarbonate and acrylic designs are concerned, CLI has over 35 years’ experience in creating exceptional highly durable products for some of America’s most outstanding and commanding industries, architecutral and interior design firms included.
OUR OUTSTANDING EXPERIENCE
Our products are above all designed to be safe and durable, yet also functional with style; designs which protect the public even when operating in the most extreme environments, yet emphasizing the style and beauty of the products in which they are fitted.
So why not entrust us with your next project and discover solutions you never dreamed possible?
Explore Other Industry Sectors We Serve
If you would like to know more about our comprehensive product lines and services, please drop us a line and we shall be delighted to discuss your enterprise’s specific product and design requirements with great interest.
Polycarbonate in Interior Design and Architecture
A FAR SUPERIOR ALTERNATIVE TO TRADITIONAL GLASS
Utilizing polycarbonate within Interior Design and Architecture projects can offer a wide spectrum of design solutions. It is the perfect medium for any project where natural or artificial lighting, color, or safety plays a key role in securing a sense of space and style.
Similarly, polycarbonate can be applied to architectural enclosures, such as elevators, capsules or elevated terraces. As compared to glass, polycarbonate benefits from the properties of being light in weight, and can be formed into highly complex shapes, not to mention its far superior safety and durability properties.
So whether applied to facades, colored panels, interior lighting spaces, skylights, elevators, terraces or roofs, polycarbonate will offer you far superior design freedom and unrivalled safety properties.
The structure of polycarbonate is composed of microcell panels. Microcell panel technology reduces the need for artificial light and favors uniformity in the diffusion of natural light, thus achieving energy-efficient facades which enhance the overall feeling of luminosity within any interior living space.
POLYCARBONATE WINDOWS OFFER INFINITE DESIGN SOLUTIONS
As compared to glass, polycarbonate will never limit the imagination of architectural and interior designers. Aside of its exceptional durability, polycarbonate can be molded into near-infinite shapes through extremely complex and compound curvatures.
POLYCARBONATE WINDOWS ARE 250 TIMES TOUGHER THAN GLASS
Coated Polycarbonate in interior design and architecture is also the perfect solution where safety concern is of paramount importance. Capable of withstanding impacts of up to 250 times that of glass, polycarbonate is the perfect solution for internal elevators, external vista domes and capsules, or other external facilities where passenger safety and protection may be of concern.
Furthermore, when a silicate hard coating is applied, modern polycarbonate formulations will withstand scratches to the same level as glass and over time no longer suffers from the previous issues of fading or turning yellow.


Polycarbonate in Interior Design
KEY ADVANTAGES
Modern polycarbonate has vastly superior impact strength as compared to glass and will not shatter when exposed to high strains or blunt force. Crack resistance is especially valuable – representing just one of the many reasons polycarbonate is used in fighter jet canopies and windows.
Polycarbonate windows can be coated to a hardness comparable to glass. Therefore, these windows resist scratching, and many chemicals commonly used to wash windows or interior design features.
Furthermore, laminated glass is also subject to delamination – where the bonding between layers fails – displaying unsightly patterns known as “traveling air pockets.” Aside from being aesthetically unpleasant, over time, these air pockets can seriously diminish visibility around the edges of the affected transparencies.
At less than half the weight of glass — (SG: 1.2 vs. 2.45) — polycarbonate is an excellent alternative, especially where weight and structural integrity and strength play a key factor in design.
Generally, flat unprocessed glass is less expensive to purchase than polycarbonate. However, tempered glass, such as used in most vehicles, is about equivalent in cost. Nevertheless, formed and/or laminated glass will be far more costly to produce than modern polymers and is always limited since it is far less maleable where complex shapes are required.
Above all, if a window is to have a more defined shape, with complex curvatures, the forming tools for glass are usually made from steel or ceramic and are very expensive to produce.
By contrast, the tools used for forming polycarbonate windows are generally made from fiberglass-reinforced resin. As such, the difference in tooling costs can be substantial; a consideration that becomes far more important for low-volume production cycles.
Although glass can be formed into curved shapes – due to its restrictive malleability – the finished shape will be quite limited, with complex shapes being far more challenging and costly to achieve.
By contrast, modern polycarbonate can be easily formed into far more radical compound shapes while retaining excellent optical properties and minimum aberration. These properties are truly advantageous for designers who wish to depart from traditional shapes and produce a shape which is farm more dramatic and eye-catching.
Polycarbonate transmits more light than glass; in fact, up to 90% of visible light. By contrast, mineral glass transmits between 80-90%, depending on the type of glass.
In cases where laminated glass has several layers, such as ballistic formulations, the image observed through the pane tends to adopt a greenish hue, whilst polycarbonate remains neutral.
The thermal conductivity of polycarbonate is considerably superior to laminated glass. With current fuel costs rising dramatically building insulation is at the forefornt of new architectural designs, particularly with skylights or windows where lower running costs for heating and air-conditioning are ever more important.
Equally, Polycarbonate offers 99.99% UV blocking as compared to 25% for glass. Similarly, up to 40% of infra-red is blocked compared to 0% for glass, depending on the tint being used.
This becomes more apparent for personnel working in hot environments, or where strong daylight conditions are required. The insulating properties of polycarbonate, offer a more comfortable environment, and also protect fabrics, paintings and other decorative artefacts from the harsh properties of sunshine entering a dwelling.
Although polycarbonate is softer by nature in its raw form, thanks to the many advances achieved with technology, and through the application of silicate coating, polycarbonate can achieve a hardness approaching that of glass.
The silicate coating affords far superior protection, thus resisting most scratches and making the transparencies impervious to yellowing and chemical attacks.
What Polycarbonate Can do for You
LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES FOR INTERIOR DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE
If you wish to push the boundaries of your imagination while providing the highest level of safety to your customers, and the assurance of security to your investors, then coated polycarbonate is the best transparency material you can use for your interior design or architectural project, bar none.
Where polycarbonate designs are concerned, CLI has over 35 years’ experience in creating exceptional highly durable products for some of America’s most outstanding and commanding industries, architecutral and interior design firms included.
OUR OUTSTANDING EXPERIENCE
Our products are above all designed to be safe and durable, yet also functional with style; designs which protect the public even when operating in the most extreme environments, yet emphasizing the style and beauty of the products in which they are fitted.
So why not entrust us with your next project and discover solutions you never dreamed possible?