What Is Polycarbonate Roofing And Why Is It The Right Choice?

What Is Polycarbonate Roofing?

If you have plans to install a new roof, and you need to decide what roofing material is the best choice, it’s likely that you’ve been asking, “what is polycarbonate roofing?” Polycarbonate is a lightweight material that comes in a variety of colors, is capable of withstanding both very high and very low temperatures, and is easily installed. If you’re in the market for a roof over your deck, patio, or conservatory, you may already have learned how effective polycarbonate roofing panels will be in providing shelter from the elements.

What Is Polycarbonate Roofing Used For?

Polycarbonate roofing sheets come in various forms to be applied for different purposes. Foam-backed polycarbonate roof panels are commonly used in structures with slightly sloped roofs such as sheds and carports. Because polycarbonate roofing systems are flexible, the installation process is simple and doesn’t take a lot of time.

Foam-backed polycarbonate roofing sheets, because of their strong insulating properties, are a favorite for factories and warehouses, and other industrial buildings, because the interior will remain warm in the cold weather. They also have an advantage in the hot weather because of the protective coating that reflects ultraviolet rays.

Polycarbonate roofing panels in clear form can serve both an effective and an esthetic purpose when installed where natural light comes in through the roof. Danpal’s famed daylighting architecture enables sunrooms and patios to perform at their best. If you want to have an outdoor area where natural light is present and glare is not, then polycarbonate plastic roof panels will incorporate nature into the décor.

If you’re wondering what makes a polycarbonate roof system attractive, you’ll understand when you see the array of colors that are available. The options for polycarbonate are an artist’s palette, and you’re the one who gets to select the colors.

Why Are Polycarbonate Roofing Systems So Popular?

Whether a roof covers a warehouse, a sun porch, or a shed, it’s going to take a beating from the elements. The roof is the first line of defense for any building: in order for the interior of the structure to stay dry, the polycarbonate roof panels above it need to withstand pounding hail, torrential rain, howling winds, heavy snow, and intense heat and sunlight. It’s no wonder that polycarbonate is highly regarded for its durability.
Polycarbonate is sturdy enough to be used in the making of bullet-proof shields. That’s conclusive proof that polycarbonate roofing panels are able to withstand the mighty forces that extreme weather brings.

Polycarbonate plastic roof panels win the contest when weather is the opponent in other ways as well. Not only are they resistant to the weather variables, but as the years go by, polycarbonate is a material that doesn’t fade or distort.

Installing polycarbonate roofing systems is easy! Polycarbonate is light in weight and flexible, which makes it perfect for those Do-It-Yourselfers who enjoy doing their own home projects. You can use a handsaw to cut polycarbonate roof panels.

The Cost Of A Polycarbonate Roof System

It’s true that polycarbonate is a more costly building material than some of the others on the market. However, when you consider the durability of polycarbonate and how much homeowners save with roofing that is so resistant to damage, you can see that, in the long run, polycarbonate is the more economical option. Easier installation is another means by which choosing polycarbonate roofing sheets translates into easy on your wallet.

If you still have questions about the superior merits of polycarbonate roof systems, contact the nearest Danpal representative. You’ll get honest, accurate answers to help you make your decision. When you ask a Danpal representative, “What is polycarbonate roofing?” you’re going to like the answer!

Polycarbonate Answers The Question: What Is The Best Clear Roofing Material?

Someone who’s planning a home project and wants to know what is the best clear roofing material might mistakenly assume the answer is glass. However, glass has significant drawbacks which make it inferior to polycarbonate. When it’s time to choose clear roof panels for a particular building project, you should consider the advantages of polycarbonate because of its marvelous daylighting properties.

What Is The Best Clear Roofing Material for Natural Light?

Unlike most building materials, polycarbonate is clear, making it uniquely suited for incorporating natural light into the interior spaces. Perhaps your first response is, “But glass is also clear. What makes polycarbonate superior to glass?”

Polycarbonate roofing panels in clear form aren’t superior simply because natural light can enter within, although that’s definitely an asset. Because polycarbonate is a thermoplastic material, it’s very flexible and easy to work with. Its light weight makes it easy to transport. These features are time savers in the process of completing a building project. Time savers are also money savers.

What Is The Most Durable Clear Roofing Material?

How long do you want your roofing system to last? As long as possible, right? You want your clear roofing panels to last longer than a season of winter snow and cold, rainstorms, hot summer heat, and destructive hail. Because polycarbonate is so durable, it has the strength to withstand the wild weather. While clear roofing sheets are effectively presenting a barrier that keeps out the adverse elements, they’re also letting in natural light. Strong enough to stop weather, clear enough to bring in daylight. That’s the charm of clear roof sheeting.

What Is The Best Clear Roofing Material For Your Happiness And Health?

You might never have considered whether your choice of building material can have an effect on your wellbeing. There’s a trait that people all over the world share, and that’s the appreciation for sunlight. Danpal, which has a business presence on five continents, knows quite a bit about climate. There’s just something about natural light that makes us feel better. Architects know it too, and that’s why they’ve begun to rely on polycarbonate roofing panels in clear designs so that Danpal’s daylighting architecture can flourish. A prized building design is a whole lot more than just placing a roof on top of a structure. The building can bring a sense of harmony between occupants and structure. With a solid polycarbonate sheet as part of the roofing system, the outdoors comes inside.

There’s actual scientific proof that exposure to natural light is good for us. If you spend your workdays inside a cubicle, with no access to windows at all, you know how glad you are when it’s time to leave and you’re free to go outside and savor the sunshine for a little while. We tend to underestimate the power of sunlight, but anytime you’re inside, but underneath clear roof sheeting, you realize how much Mother Nature’s sunlight benefits you.

Exposure to sunlight leads the brain to produce serotonin. Low levels of serotonin can lead to depression and other conditions. Architects have responded to this information by designing structures that incorporate daylight from outside into the internal spaces.

Now you can see why using clear roofing panels make such a difference. Doesn’t everyone want the best of both worlds that polycarbonate delivers? Strong but light. Flexible but durable. Whether you choose a roof made of polycarbonate sheeting that’s transparent, semi-transparent, or opaque, you’re getting a product that’s far superior to glass. When making your decision on a roof, choose the system that brings sunlight into the design.

Polycarbonate Roofing Sheets, Gazebos, and the Great Outdoors

Architects have been singing the praises of polycarbonate for some time now, so much so that this popular building material has become a favorite of everyone from the professionals in the construction field to DIYers working on projects. Why is polycarbonate in such demand? It’s lighter and stronger than glass, it’s customizable and easier to work than other traditional materials, and it’s able to withstand punishing weather. If a gazebo is in your future, then you would do well to consider polycarbonate roof panels as part of the design. Danpal, with over half a century in the building industry, can help you choose the roofing that’s just right for your project.

Polycarbonate And Performance Make A Great Team

A gazebo adds so much to the appearance of your property. Anytime you’re thinking of adding an outdoor structure to your outdoor space, you need to assess how well it will stand up to the weather. Do you live in an area where the sunlight is intense? Then you’ll be interested to learn that polycarbonate roof panels boast of impressive UV resistance. No matter how intense the heat is outside, the polycarbonate roof panels aren’t too hot to touch. Even after hours of exposure to sunlight, the material retains its strength.

Polycarbonate roof panels perform well in cold weather too. Are you in a region that has fierce storms and wind gust? You’re going to want to know that polycarbonate roof panels are 250 times more durable than glass. Simply put, polycarbonate is an all-season product that outperforms the traditional materials that were commonly used in the past.

Why Polycarbonate Is Most Suited For Gazebo Roofing

The strength of polycarbonate roofing panels comes from their inherent composition. Polycarbonate is made out of thermoplastic polymers designed for both strength and flexibility. That’s an impressive pairing. Consider the advantages of a roof that’s flexible enough to be shaped on the building site, and at the same time, strong enough to resist the impact of hail.

Shatterproof polycarbonate is so remarkable that, even if it’s dropped, it won’t break. Yet it’s so flexible that it can be shaped into the preferred shape that suits your design.

What Type of Polycarbonate Panels Are Best For Gazebo Roofing?

Because a gazebo is in an outdoor setting, its roofing needs to filter out harmful UV rays while simultaneously allowing light to enter. Tinted or transparent polycarbonate roof panels will satisfy that requirement, depending upon just how much sunlight and shade you want the gazebo to deliver.

Unlike glass, polycarbonate roof panels don’t absorb UV rays, they reflect it so that, on the steamiest hot day of summer, your gazebo and the people inside have full UV protection. Here are some numbers that will convince you: polycarbonate blocks out 100% of the sun’s harmful UV rays; glass can only block 25% of UV rays. While polycarbonate roof panels are preventing UV rays from coming in, they’re letting in 90% of the natural outdoor light.

Because of the gazebo’s outdoor location, and the inevitable effect of weather, the structure benefits from multiwall polycarbonate roof panels which have multiple layers. When rain pours down or hail strikes, the layering provides that protective durability that is a trademark of polycarbonate. The gazebo roof will look as attractive as glass, but without the weaknesses that make glass a less desirable building material.

Easy Installation Of Polycarbonate Roof Panels

Adding a gazebo doesn’t have to be an intrusive project if you’re working with polycarbonate, which is a very light material that’s easily transported. Glass, on the other hand, is heavier and not as flexible, making it more burdensome in both its transportation and installation.

A gazebo adds to the appearance and the value of your property. Choosing the right roofing is both an esthetic and an economic factor in your decision. Choosing glass would mean that weather is a constant threat to the life span of the gazebo roof. What if hail strikes and causes a crack in the glass? Even a small crack can spread and cause the glass to shatter, leading to the expense of replacing it. With polycarbonate roof panels, you can rest easy in your home, knowing that your gazebo has all the protection it needs against Mother Nature.

Bring Natural Light Inside With Danpal’s Transparent Roofing Solutions

You may not think of architecture as a source of wellness, and you may never have considered how building materials are capable of influencing mindfulness, but if you’re exploring options in transparent roofing solutions, you’re entering a vibrant realm of possibilities. Transparent roofing material can transform an architect’s vision into an inspirational structure. Clear roofing material, which by its composition is a superior source for admitting daylight into interior spaces, is capable of promoting both productivity and a sense of wellbeing. At Danpal, where we research, develop, and manufacture materials that are designed for a purpose as well as for appearance, we know that a structure needs to maintain a holistic balance between the performance of the building and the needs of the people within. This article will explain how the choice of installing a polycarbonate roof system affects much more than a physical entity known as a building.

You Can Rely On Transparent Roofing Solutions To Bring Daylight Inside

Polycarbonate roofing systems are made of a building material renowned for its strength. Polycarbonate lets in nearly as much natural light into a building as glass, yet it’s 200 times stronger. Glass cannot claim the same strength that polycarbonate has. That’s why Danpal finds that this clear roofing material has captured the attention of architects and construction crews.

More exposure to natural light provides so many benefits for us. Studies have shown that people who work in an office environment that offers exposure to natural light actually demonstrate noticeable improvements in their productivity when they’re awake, and experience greater quality of sleep when they aren’t. Better sleep at night leads to more energy during the day. There’s no way to put a price on how much better people feel when they’re in the presence of natural light, but the results are priceless!

Polycarbonate roofing systems do not have to be transparent in order to allow natural light to enter interior spaces. The polycarbonate roofing sheets can also be translucent and opaque and continue to allow natural light to enter. Opaque and translucent polycarbonate roof panels can even have different tints and colors, and still let in natural light.

The Benefits Of Transparent Roofing Solutions

The installation of a polycarbonate roof system offers an impressive array of advantages:

  • Significantly stronger and lighter in weight than glass
  • Flexible, bendable, and easy to customize
  • High impact resistance
  • Keeps its transparency and shape for a long time
  • Easier to install

The Right Transparent Roofing Material Enhances The Transmission of Light And Heat

If you’re wondering whether the installation of transparent roofing material will lead to a buildup of heat beneath the roof, don’t worry; there are easy ways of addressing that issue. The heat that’s created when more light enters in through clear roofing material comes from the sun’s infrared radiation. Adding certain colors containing heat-blocking additives to the panels can manage the ratio of heat and light that builds up. The end result keeps you comfortable inside.

Designing and constructing a building often focuses on cost, labor, and materials. But Danpal doesn’t forget that one of the most beneficial elements to add to a building plan is also one that comes at no cost. Mother Nature doesn’t charge for daylight. All it takes is for an architect to design a building that employs the daylighting architecture pioneered by Danpal. Choosing a polycarbonate roof system that adds sunlight to the design is an affordable way to welcome nature inside.

Newhaven Energy Recovery Facility, a Curvaceous Colosus

Imposing in size but well-integrated in its environment, the Newhaven Energy Recovery Facility on quite a difficult terrain, along the Ouse river, wedged between heterogeneous industrial buildings and residential areas, along a regional park.

The building is partially buried and emerges from the ground only 27 m high out of the 45 m required for the waste treatment process that is carried out over 200 m in length.

All that can be seen has been softened, rounded, curved to visually blur the building and reduce the impact on the environment. The building exterior is designed in three parts, which correspond to different stages of waste treatment.

On one side, the waste is received under a steel cladding, whereas at the other end an apse in porous textile covers the cooling elements. Between the two, a huge Danpalon® hall covers the processing pit and the heart of the system. During the day, light enters and lights up the installations. At night, the continuous activity of the building is gently enhanced with minimal light pollution.

In slightly cloudy weather, the milky appearance of the cladding allows it to almost merge with the sky, thus minimizing the visual impact of the imposing building. It was a difficult architectural choice to have made transparent what is usually opaque, and curve what is usually square. A choice that has had a positive effect as this treatment center has not been subject to the usual controversies that these kinds of projects are generally known to face.

 

Newhaven Energy Recovery FacilityDETAILS OF THE PROJECT:
Name of the Project:  Newhaven Energy Recovery Facility, UK
Applications: Facade + Skylight
Systems: Danpal Facade System + Danpal Roofing System
Thickness: 16mm, 1040mm
Colors: Clear Softlite
Company: Soprema
Architects : Jean Robert MAZAUD, S’pace
Installer: Lakesmere (UK)
Copyright: © S’PACE SA

 

Skylight Roofing Lets Daylight In But Keeps Weather Out

We want it all! We want the beauty of the outdoors but we don’t want to give up the comfort of our indoor dwellings. We yearn for the bright light outside, but our work is conducted within four walls and it seems as if there’s no way to combine the vitality of the outdoors with the practical efficiency of our inside lives. But don’t give up, because there is a way to welcome the sunshine and daylight of the outside world without trying to convince your boss that you’d be more productive if you worked from a treehouse. Skylight roofing is the answer. It’s easy to work with and easy to install and once you have it, you’ll never want to go back to the old-style roofing that keeps the daylight out of sight.

WEATHER AND SKYLIGHT ROOFING WORKING TOGETHER

The treehouse idea really wouldn’t work at all so before you start measuring the height of the branches where you live or work, give skylight roofing some consideration. Weather is a 24/7, 365-days-a-year presence in our lives. The plentiful daylight of summer gives way to the early darkness of fall and winter. Hot, sunny days share equal time, in season, with bitterly cold ones. You might stroll from your car to the office on a bright spring day, but when the rain is pouring down, you’re sprinting as fast as you can to get inside where it’s dry. Skylight roofing lets the weather be the weather and keeps you comfortable inside. You enjoy the way that the light transforms the illumination in your working and living spaces with skylight roofing, and you’re not inconvenienced when the weather is inclement, because you’re inside.

HOW SKYLIGHT ROOFING KEEPS WEATHER IN BALANCE

Once again, it’s Danpal innovation that has developed the means to satisfy everyone who wants it all. Skylight roofing allows sunshine to enter the building, but it blocks snow, rain, wind, and hail from coming inside. That’s because of microcell technology, which has been perfected so that it provides 100% watertight protection against wet weather. You know it’s raining or snowing outside, but it doesn’t interfere with your activities. You’ll reap the benefits of weather—more exposure to sunlight which will improve your Vitamin D levels, without having to wear sunscreen in order to prevent sunburn; you’ll see better because natural light is so beneficial to vision, but you’re not without access to the familiar features of the workplace and living space. The panel ribs of the roofing are spaced tightly together in order to enhance the effect of the light.

WORKING WITH SKYLIGHT ROOFING IS EASY

Another favorite aspect of skylight roofing is the ease of installation. Danpal offers varying lengths and sizes of roofing, all of which slot into designated spots effortlessly and easily without a lot of work. So, not only is skylight roofing please you, but it’s also a pleasure for the crew that’s installing it.

If you want the best of weather without its drawbacks, skylight roofing is the solution.

Exploring The Advantages Of A Polycarbonate Roofing Panel In Clear Designs

What You Don’t See With A Polycarbonate Roofing Panel In Clear Settings

At first glance, it’s easy to think that when you’re looking at a clear polycarbonate roof, you’re seeing everything there is to see. But in reality, many of the advantages of clear roofing sheets are invisible. For instance, those clear polycarbonate panels that you notice in a mall, or a warehouse, or a patio, catch your eye because they’re attractive and they let in the light. You don’t initially notice the strength that defies the elements. You may have observed the long-term effects of sunlight on a low-quality plastic roof that isn’t resistant to ultraviolet rays. The roofing in those instances may bubble and turn brittle when the sun beats down on it.

However, clear polycarbonate sheets have a film coating that’s almost invisible. This ultraviolet protection stops those harmful UV rays from penetrating the panels. The roofing is protected, and so are you! UV rays on clear roofing material that isn’t protected can age the plastic and make it turn yellow. If the skin is exposed to extended levels of UV rays, there’s a risk of cancer. But if you’re sitting under a Danpal polycarbonate roofing panel in clear overhead structures, you don’t have to worry about getting a bad sunburn.

If you’re using multiwall polycarbonate roofing, there’s something else you don’t see that’s going to show up in your wallet. A multiwall polycarbonate clear sheet reflects heat better than any other plastic roofing. They provide insulation, which can help to lower your energy bills.

Combining Sunlight And UV Protection With Polycarbonate Roofing Panel In Clear Manufacturing Designs

As we’ve already noted, each polycarbonate clear sheet that comes together to construct the clear polycarbonate roof that you want is uniquely designed to address varying weather situations. These polycarbonate clear roof panels are made of a thermoplastic material; they let in the natural light that is needed for a structure such as a greenhouse, but at the same time, they resist UV ways and keep out rain and snow, heat and cold.

It’s worth noting that, as durable as clear polycarbonate sheets are, they do have a fragile side. Those clear roofing sheets are perfectly designed for weather protection, admitting natural light, and providing UV protection. But don’t walk on them! They’re not designed to support the weight of a human body. It’s not easy to break a polycarbonate roof, but it is easily dented or scratched. Another way to explain the dual nature of the clear polycarbonate roof is to consider DVDs and audio CDs. They’re also made of polycarbonate, so they’re very durable, but easy to scratch.

At Danpal, we know our limits. We can manufacture roofing systems that are strong enough to keep out the worst that the weather sends us. We can design cladding systems that protect your insulation from the ill effects caused by moisture invading the interior spaces of a structure. We can build customised products that enable an architect to create imaginative and exciting designs. But natural light, well, that’s not something that even Danpal innovation can recreate. So we’ve opted for the next best thing. We can’t make sunlight, but what we can do is develop products that make sunlight more accessible for indoor spaces. If you’ve been in a structure which features our clear roofing sheets, you’ve noticed the remarkable effect of having natural light from outside illuminate the enclosed spaces inside. It’s an ideal way to benefit from the advantages of natural daylight while enjoying the comforts of the inside. Our clear roofing panels are made of polycarbonate, a building material that’s so strong and versatile that it has transformed the industry.

Danpal’s Clear Roofing Sheets Bring Daylight Indoors

Natural light doesn’t just feel good. It is good for you! Daylight is part of the holistic pattern that nature has designed to keep us healthy. Deprived of natural light, we may become moody, depressed, and lethargic. Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is an actual condition that has been documented in people who feel ill because of the lack of sunlight; it’s a condition particularly noticeable in cold climates, where the dark, overcast days of winter seem to hide the sun from view. Dr. Danpal knows just how to ease the symptoms of sunlight-deprivation: bring in the daylight with clear roofing sheets! Polycarbonate sheets keep out the inclement weather and let the sunshine in!

Clear Roofing Sheets

Clear Polycarbonate Panels is Strong Enough To Keep Weather Away

If you’re wondering how something that looks like glass can possibly be durable enough to let the sunshine in while keeping rain and snow away, you might not know about the properties of the polycarbonate roof panel. This innovative building material is 200 times stronger than glass, yet only half as heavy! That’s why it can keep you warm and snug inside while, all around you, the snow might be falling, the rain pouring, the wind blowing and the hail pounding. Clear roofing sheets don’t give way to weather.

Clear Plastic Roofing Panels Support Energy Efficiency

As the weather seems to become more and more extreme and unpredictable, our society is redoubling our efforts to take better care of our planet. One of the ways that we serve our planet better is by keeping a close eye on the energy that we use. Cities, which are made up of buildings with enormous energy demands, are at the forefront of using daylighting architecture to develop structures that leave a smaller carbon footprint on the environment. Facilitating the amount of daylight that enters our buildings is one of the many ways that we can help to support a more sustainable lifestyle. Natural light enhances illumination, making it possible for building occupants to see better as they work inside with the bounty of light above them. Being more productive while consuming less energy is better for us, and better for the environment.