Climate Change – The Challenge
Climate change is out of the question a serious issue that mankind is facing. Bill Gates, in his recent book about climate change, pointed out that “the world needs to get to zero emissions by 2050 if we’re going to avoid a climate disaster. To do that, we need to find ways to generate and store clean electricity, grow food, make things, move around, and heat and cool our buildings without releasing greenhouse gases.”
Government institutions, social organizations, and individual around the world have been, either spontaneously or reluctantly, taking countermeasures regarding the responsibility shared by every entity on this planet.
To be able to achieve net-zero emissions, no doubt we need more feasible actions to be carried out. One of them, as Gates is saying, is that we need buildings that could “be heated and cooled without releasing greenhouse gases” – i.e. the eco-friendly constructions.
Eco-friendly construction is building a structure that is beneficial or non-harmful to the environment, and resource-efficient. This type of construction is efficient in its use of local and renewable materials, and in the energy required to build it, and the energy generated while being within it. It sounds thousands of miles afar from where we stand now base on the currently evolving technology. Yet with limited resources, we can still target the right direction: starting from the “building blocks” – sustainable material.
The ideal material – Polycarbonate sheets
Polycarbonate (PC) sheets have gained popularity in recent years with environmentalists, architects and designers. Beyond its high durability, PC sheets offer builders the opportunity to create buildings and other structures that are environmentally friendly. Some of the major benefits are: potentially improved energy efficiency, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and a lowered carbon footprint (when shipping these lightweight materials).
With polycarbonate sheets, a resource-efficient building is tangible in regards to the characteristics identified below:
1. Its ability to capture and retain natural light
Maximising the amount of natural light in your home – through good use of windows, roof lights, sun pipes, etc. – will help to reduce your need for artificial lighting. Polycarbonate makes great translucent walls, especially in the outdoor sunroom projects that we design. A transparent yet UV-resistant sunroom promises efficient light sources at any given time of the day. Besides, when used as glazing on doors, the lightweight of the material reduces the energy required to operate, which is a great complement to the impact resistance required in these types of projects.
2. The enduring insulation system
“It’s natural to think of lights and appliances like TVs as the biggest energy hogs, but they’re not: It’s actually heating and cooling.” Insulation might be a big problem due to the seasonal fluctuating temperature. The polycarbonate material allows the heat to get in quickly, but leave very slowly, which makes it the perfect material for heat preserving. Polycarbonate sheet can also reduce overheating in certain parts of a building by absorbing a significant amount of the infrared spectrum that carries heat.
3. Excellent ventilation
To get rid of the electronic devices that serve as the ventilation system. Some designs, such as the removable rooftop, sidewalls have lately been trending in eco-design. The lightweight polycarbonate sheets enable the building itself to be movable. Taking advantage of its mobility and flexibility, our retractable sunroom/pool enclosures projects have found their wild popularity among numerous housing designs.
4. Sustainability
If you’re looking for sustainable material, then polycarbonate is a perfect match. Polycarbonate panels are 100% post-consumer recyclable and eco-friendly. The same is true for the aluminum framing systems we design. It can also be moulded into new products thanks to its unique property so that there is little wastage.
Take Action!
Everyone and everything has a footprint, yet when you look at the facts surrounding polycarbonate plastic, you find that it’s the most popular and the most-used material worldwide because of its sustainability and effectiveness.
If you’re also interested in polycarbonate material and start taking action after reading this post, congrats: you’re already one step closer to a greener world!