June 10, 2010 - Miami, FL - At the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Expo, Booth 574, SABIC Innovative Plastics is spotlighting its robust, fast-growing portfolio of Lexan* Thermoclear* polycarbonate (PC) sheet systems, which are driving sustainable building designs through energy conservation and improved working/living environments. These lightweight, flame-retardant materials, available in monolithic and multiwall configurations, are used worldwide for roofing, cladding and glazing massive stadiums, hotels, and other impressive structures. SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Lexan Thermoclear sheet products can help architects and designers succeed in the lucrative green building space and have potential to contribute to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by providing natural light, optimizing energy performance, and utilizing recycled content.
At the Expo, SABIC Innovative Plastics is featuring its newest, high-performance PC glazing solutions. Offering superb energy efficiency, 1000mm-width Lexan Thermoclick* 50mm sheet delivers a thermal insulation U-value that can reduce energy consumption up to 17 percent vs. high-return, double-pane glass glazing. Lexan Solar Control IR and Thermoclear SoftLite* light-diffusing multiwall sheet products reduce build-up of interior heat while increasing natural light transmission. The company’s continuing investment in these and other environmentally responsible solutions helps customers create the next generation of sustainable designs.
“The sustainable building movement is a rapidly accelerating, $12-billion sector in which SABIC Innovative Plastics’ advanced materials technologies are playing an increasingly critical role,” said Ken Rudolph, product market leader Building & Construction, SABIC Innovative Plastics, Specialty Film & Sheet, Americas. “Our new Lexan Thermoclear sheet materials are a natural fit for sustainable design because they help our customers meet global environmental and safety standards and facilitate awe-inspiring green architectural design. With a huge array of colors, finishes, sizes and configurations, our sheet products open virtually limitless design possibilities.”
Winning LEED Credits with Lexan Thermoclear Sheet
The LEED program is the most popular standard for green building and its silver, gold and platinum certifications are highly prized. Incorporating SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Lexan Thermoclear sheet glazing, roofing and cladding solutions into the design may help builders win LEED credits (points counting toward certification) in several categories:
For safety, Lexan Thermoclick 40mm sheet system and Thermoclear sheet products1 made in North America comply with CC1 (ASTM D635) and Class A (ASTM E-84) smoke and fire ratings and are impact-resistant. They are available with UV-resistant coatings to protect people from ultraviolet radiation. Another important benefit of X-structure Lexan Thermoclear sheet is its light weight, which makes it less expensive to transport and easier to handle and install compared to heavy glass panes. Also, the material can be used with a lighter supporting steel framework than glass requires, which can reduce material and shipping costs.
Both sides of Lexan Thermoclear sheet are treated with proprietary UV protection against outdoor weathering. In accelerated 4,000-hour weathering tests (DIN53387 / ASTM G26) – comparable to 10 years of outdoor exposure in moderate climate conditions – results obtained by SABIC Innovative Plastics demonstrate Lexan Thermoclear sheet’s superior ability to maintain color, light transmission and impact strength vs. competitive products.
SABIC Innovative Plastics offers multiple Thermoclear sheet solutions with varying warranties to fulfill different customer needs. For example, SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Lexan Thermoclear Plus sheet – made with a unique two-sided proprietary UV surface treatment – has a 10-year limited written warranty and provides superior performance with a yellowing index of two. Additionally, Lexan Thermoclear SunXP sheet – manufactured with a higher resistance to UV degradation – comes with a 15-year limited written warranty against discoloration, loss of light transmission and loss of impact strength due to weathering.
Wide Choice of Special Properties
In addition to Lexan sheet’s excellent resistance to impact, UV and flame, select monolithic grades offer anti-graffiti properties or compliance with building codes established by the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO).
To provide different visual effects, the Lexan Thermoclear sheet product line is available in clear, opal white, solar control blue, bronze, gray, two green shades as well as a variety of other colors.
A variety of specialty coatings from SABIC Innovative Plastics are also available. They include Easyclean grade with a proprietary technology that allows Lexan sheet to be easily cleaned with rainwater, resulting in significant cost savings. Lexan Thermoclear Dripgard* sheet with a specially developed hydrophilic coating on the inner surface prevents dripping from condensation build-up in greenhouses.
Applications for Lexan Thermoclear sheet include building cladding, architectural interiors, partition walls, commercial-, residential- and stadium roof glazing, swimming pool enclosures, greenhouses and sunrooms.
For additional information on SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Lexan sheet products, please go to www.sabic-ip.com.
About SABIC Innovative Plastics
SABIC Innovative Plastics is a leading, global supplier of engineering thermoplastics with a 75-year history of breakthrough solutions that solve its customers’ most pressing challenges. Today, SABIC Innovative Plastics is a multi-billion-dollar company with operations in more than 35 countries and approximately 9,000 employees worldwide. The company continues to lead the plastics industry with customer collaboration and continued investments in new polymer technologies, global application development, process technologies, and environmentally responsible solutions that serve diverse markets such as automotive, electronics, building & construction, transportation, and healthcare. The company’s extensive product portfolio includes thermoplastic resins, coatings, specialty compounds, film, and sheet. SABIC Innovative Plastics (www.sabic-ip.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), one of the world’s top six petrochemicals manufacturers.
At the Expo, SABIC Innovative Plastics is featuring its newest, high-performance PC glazing solutions. Offering superb energy efficiency, 1000mm-width Lexan Thermoclick* 50mm sheet delivers a thermal insulation U-value that can reduce energy consumption up to 17 percent vs. high-return, double-pane glass glazing. Lexan Solar Control IR and Thermoclear SoftLite* light-diffusing multiwall sheet products reduce build-up of interior heat while increasing natural light transmission. The company’s continuing investment in these and other environmentally responsible solutions helps customers create the next generation of sustainable designs.
“The sustainable building movement is a rapidly accelerating, $12-billion sector in which SABIC Innovative Plastics’ advanced materials technologies are playing an increasingly critical role,” said Ken Rudolph, product market leader Building & Construction, SABIC Innovative Plastics, Specialty Film & Sheet, Americas. “Our new Lexan Thermoclear sheet materials are a natural fit for sustainable design because they help our customers meet global environmental and safety standards and facilitate awe-inspiring green architectural design. With a huge array of colors, finishes, sizes and configurations, our sheet products open virtually limitless design possibilities.”
Winning LEED Credits with Lexan Thermoclear Sheet
The LEED program is the most popular standard for green building and its silver, gold and platinum certifications are highly prized. Incorporating SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Lexan Thermoclear sheet glazing, roofing and cladding solutions into the design may help builders win LEED credits (points counting toward certification) in several categories:
- Sustainable Sites: Credit 8 – Light Pollution Reduction (1 point): Lexan Thermoclear SoftLite sheet, a new addition to SABIC Innovative Plastics’ portfolio, offers light-diffusing characteristics that prevent direct-beam illumination from leaving the building interior. Also, opaque Lexan sheet and Lexan Thermoclear multiwall sheet can block up to 100 percent of light pollution.
- Energy & Atmosphere: Credit 1 – Optimize Energy Performance (1 point each, up to 10 points): The X-wall structure of the SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Lexan Thermoclear sheet creates additional air pockets between the exterior and interior of the building while enhancing strength and stiffness. This configuration helps the material deliver energy efficiency year round while transmitting diffused daylight.
- Materials & Resources: Credits 4.1 and 4.2 – Recycled Content (1 point each): Lexan sheet may utilize different percentages of pre-consumer recycled content that can help builders to obtain these credits.
- Indoor Environmental Quality: Credit 6.2 – Controllability of Systems (1 point): Lexan Solar Control IR sheet (monolithic and multiwall versions) can help reduce interior heat build-up by 25 percent, while increasing light transmission by as much as 60 percent compared to other glazing products. Credits 8.1 and 8.2 – Daylight & Views (1 point each): Lexan sheet for walls, curtainwalls and window replacement systems can easily integrate fixed and operable windows glazed with PC sheet for connection to the outdoors.
For safety, Lexan Thermoclick 40mm sheet system and Thermoclear sheet products1 made in North America comply with CC1 (ASTM D635) and Class A (ASTM E-84) smoke and fire ratings and are impact-resistant. They are available with UV-resistant coatings to protect people from ultraviolet radiation. Another important benefit of X-structure Lexan Thermoclear sheet is its light weight, which makes it less expensive to transport and easier to handle and install compared to heavy glass panes. Also, the material can be used with a lighter supporting steel framework than glass requires, which can reduce material and shipping costs.
Both sides of Lexan Thermoclear sheet are treated with proprietary UV protection against outdoor weathering. In accelerated 4,000-hour weathering tests (DIN53387 / ASTM G26) – comparable to 10 years of outdoor exposure in moderate climate conditions – results obtained by SABIC Innovative Plastics demonstrate Lexan Thermoclear sheet’s superior ability to maintain color, light transmission and impact strength vs. competitive products.
SABIC Innovative Plastics offers multiple Thermoclear sheet solutions with varying warranties to fulfill different customer needs. For example, SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Lexan Thermoclear Plus sheet – made with a unique two-sided proprietary UV surface treatment – has a 10-year limited written warranty and provides superior performance with a yellowing index of two. Additionally, Lexan Thermoclear SunXP sheet – manufactured with a higher resistance to UV degradation – comes with a 15-year limited written warranty against discoloration, loss of light transmission and loss of impact strength due to weathering.
Wide Choice of Special Properties
In addition to Lexan sheet’s excellent resistance to impact, UV and flame, select monolithic grades offer anti-graffiti properties or compliance with building codes established by the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO).
To provide different visual effects, the Lexan Thermoclear sheet product line is available in clear, opal white, solar control blue, bronze, gray, two green shades as well as a variety of other colors.
A variety of specialty coatings from SABIC Innovative Plastics are also available. They include Easyclean grade with a proprietary technology that allows Lexan sheet to be easily cleaned with rainwater, resulting in significant cost savings. Lexan Thermoclear Dripgard* sheet with a specially developed hydrophilic coating on the inner surface prevents dripping from condensation build-up in greenhouses.
Applications for Lexan Thermoclear sheet include building cladding, architectural interiors, partition walls, commercial-, residential- and stadium roof glazing, swimming pool enclosures, greenhouses and sunrooms.
For additional information on SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Lexan sheet products, please go to www.sabic-ip.com.
About SABIC Innovative Plastics
SABIC Innovative Plastics is a leading, global supplier of engineering thermoplastics with a 75-year history of breakthrough solutions that solve its customers’ most pressing challenges. Today, SABIC Innovative Plastics is a multi-billion-dollar company with operations in more than 35 countries and approximately 9,000 employees worldwide. The company continues to lead the plastics industry with customer collaboration and continued investments in new polymer technologies, global application development, process technologies, and environmentally responsible solutions that serve diverse markets such as automotive, electronics, building & construction, transportation, and healthcare. The company’s extensive product portfolio includes thermoplastic resins, coatings, specialty compounds, film, and sheet. SABIC Innovative Plastics (www.sabic-ip.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), one of the world’s top six petrochemicals manufacturers.
