Photos & Sustainability: How the TECHVENT 5300 helps the environment
Sustainability continues to be a big topic in the architecture and construction industries, and we have talked at length about the ecological benefits offered by our LIGHTWALL translucent wall systems. We now realize we haven’t given other EXTECH systems their proper credit, particularly our TECHVENT 5300 windows. The TECHVENT 5300 has delivered a surprising […]
Global Warming: How architects & building owners can prepare the world
With the effects of global warming upon us, architects and building owners need to mitigate its impact in the built environment. This is not a new idea, but the necessity for design that protects against volatile weather, rising temperatures, and insect-borne diseases is now more pressing than ever. Last year, the U.S. Army Corps of […]
Our Top 5 Favorite Polycarbonate Designs from Around the World
It isn’t hard to find beautiful architecture built with polycarbonate. At EXTECH, we follow the latest in polycarbonate design and are consistently impressed by the ideas architects are able to bring to life with polycarbonate glazing. Polycarbonate in architecture is becoming a global phenomenon, so we thought we’d pay homage to all the stellar […]
The consequences of bad framing systems – and how to avoid them
The framing on the daylighting system you choose can result in long-lasting value — or a full-on catastrophe. EXTECH’s General Manager Jim Leslie recounts a cautionary tale and outlines what you need to know to ensure the daylighting in your design will deliver lifelong durability, cost-savings, and beauty. It happened again. A contractor recently came to us […]
Case Study & Photos: Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles, CA
Complex and Weather-Tight Engineering for the Leo Baeck Temple Project: Leo Baeck Temple Location: Los Angeles, CA Architect: Architecture 350 System: LIGHTWALL 3440 Among the Velvet Ash and Lupines of southern California’s San Fernando Valley sits the Leo Baeck Temple, a Jewish community center that offers a campus for prayer services, learning, and gathering to […]
3 Rules for Daylighting Design
We recently had an architect come to us with a bright and bold design for a sports arena. The new facility was to be a 40,000-square-foot indoor sports and cultural performance space that offered a state-of-the-art training center, locker rooms that were tripled in size, and daylighting components that maximized the facility’s natural light with […]
Is polycarbonate the future of architecture?
A house in Spain recently caught our eye. Newly updated by Buyesc Arquitectes, the Spanish home’s south-facing wall is now clad with polycarbonate. The designer’s intent was to transform the home into a low-energy building – polycarbonate panels improve thermal efficiency by capturing solar energy and gradually transferring it indoors. Polycarbonate also provides excellent insulating […]