Dijk residence/ San Francisco
Photo by Eric Rorer
What Houzz contributors are saying:
What is polycarbonate?First a bit of technical speak: polycarbonate (PC) is a thermoplastic polymer containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. When used in engineering, polycarbonate is a strong and tough material, and some grades – as evident in the San Francisco home pictured here – are optically translucent. Polycarbonate can be easily worked, moulded and thermo-formed, making it useful for many applications.
Attachment Each manufacturer offers various profiles to allow the panels to be mounted to the structure and joined to other panels. The simplest method is to use prefabricated, extruded aluminium or polycarbonate trim profiles, similar to drywall trims. Gasketed screws fix the sheets to the profiles and the support structure. More complex and weathertight installations make use of heavy-duty extruded aluminium frames similar to storefront and curtain-wall systems. The multi-wall panels can even be dry glazed into standard aluminium skylight frames.Before the panels are installed in the frame, the fluted ends must be closed with a special tape. This tape is either solid or vented, depending on the location of the panel (wall or roof).
What Houzzers are commenting on:
translucent windows for stairwell on side
