I’m looking at some of the translucent panels for natural light. Would you recommend fiberglass or some other material and why?
thanks
If first cost is most important, I would use one of the fiberglass products (Kalwall, Skywall) If you want best life cycle cost, there is a glass product called Solera (www.advancedglazings.com) that you should look at. It fits into standard aluminum framing and can use virtually any glazing color.
You might like to investigate today’s translucent polycarbonate technology, presented by extruders such as Gallina, GE, Polygal, Suntuf, Co-Ex and Ex-Cel. If you check Section 08950 Translucent Assemblies, you’ll note companies that offer complete daylighting systems using this advanced translucent polycarbonate technology. They include Major Industries(www.majorskylights.com), CPI (cpidaylighting.com)and Duo-Gard Industries (www.duo-gard.com). I’m the marketing director for Duo-Gard and hope I have presented this information in an informative, helpful and acceptable manner. Thank you.
Curt,
Thanks for the link. Looks interesting.
Linda,
Thank you too. Question though. What are the advantages to the polycarbonate that you speak of over the stuff that has been around for a while?
Thanks for your response. Much as I would like to introduce you to the many advantages of today’s polycarbonate daylighting technology, this is not the place, I’m sure. If you visit the sites I mentioned, you’ll find good info and you can then decide if you want to contact someone directly for more. Best of luck in your research.
Another helpful avenue might be to talk to some architects who use translucent polycarbonate. Here are a couple: Leroy Braxton at Merz & Associates 313-963-2800; Derrick Mozingo at Mozingo & Wallace 843-449-8000; Tom Adams at Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson 501-376-6681; Richard Neumann 231-347-0931. Hope this is helpful.
Kalwall is another product you might consider. It is used in roof and wall assemblies.