Thermal, lighting, and energy performances of buildings constructed with polycarbonate panels. Case study of a classroom in Madrid

Transparent plastic envelopes are increasingly used in building construction. This study is focused on the thermal and optical performance of a building envelope of structural multiwall polycarbonate sheets to determine the suitability of this solution. To do so, the extension of a scholar building, with walls and roof entirely made up of polycarbonate panels, has been monitored throughout a two-week period. The experimental results have been compared with those obtained with two energy simulation programs. It is observed that, due to the small thermal inertia of the solution, there is no time lag between indoor and outdoor temperatures and the temperature decrement is usually kept within a 5K range. The experimental tests also show that the building consumption for heating and lighting is, respectively, 66% and 89% lower than the predictions obtained with the simulations. It is concluded that the polycarbonate enclosure presents good thermal, solar, and optical behavior.