He covered the south-facing facade with 8 layers of polycarbonate plastic, in total about 3 inches thick. During winter, the sun is nearly perpendicular to the facade, beaming its energy directly into all its layers. The polycarbonate can reach 130°F even as outside temperatures peak at 50°F.

Architect Indra Janda hand-cut sheets of polycarbonate into 15¾-inch square shingles and clad the entire timber structure—a gabled roof and walls—with them.

The 484-square-foot room offers a cool respite from summer sun and a warm place to relax in winter.

This 500 square-foot prefab theater, built from polycarbonate, was a temporary structure that hosted a Pierre Huyghe film and performance. It stood underneath Le Corbusier's Carpenter Center at Harvard University.

Maple performs in the basement playroom. The basement windows are coated with a polycarbonate greenhouse glaze.

The milky-white, one-and-a-half-inch thick polycarbonate plastic panels keep its inhabitants from being seen from the outside (unless they stand right up against the wall). From inside, urban surroundings become a pleasantly blurry backdrop.

Because of its semi-opaque envelope, the building takes on a life of its own: It glows in the evenings and its framing casts shadows that dance throughout the interior during the day.

Thanks to its translucent envelope of polycarbonate plastic, the house glows like a firefly at night and is so bright during the day that resident Daisuke Tokuyama says he rarely turns on a light.

Bunyesc was asked by a family of four—a couple with two young children, aged 1 and 2—to transform this aged structure into a modern home. The architect wanted something energy-efficient, and while he had several renovations under his belt, he turned to an unusual material to harness the sun's energy: polycarbonate, a rugged plastic common to industrial architecture, sheds, and other lightweight construction.

The Lucent Cube: Yun Wan, Silvia Lopes, Balazs Fekete (London) One of two first prize proposals calls for a simple, polycarbonate structure, with teaching spaces and offices spread out over multiple levels. Inside, dividing walls can be easily rearranged, allowing for flexibility.

On the top level of the structure lies an indoor garden, which receives sunlight by way of skylights.

A polycarbonate wall by Lexan Thermoclick colors the west side of the studio. Exterior doors are from Codel, and they are also painted in Benjamin Moore’s “dark pewter.”

The exterior is constructed from cypress pine wood and lightweight polycarbonate.

The structure is made entirely from treated pine, while its corrugated polycarbonate roof protects it from the elements.

The LED lighting is encased in translucent poly-carbonate panels on top and bottom. Daylight streams through from the roof when the lights aren't on.

A 25-foot custom bifold door made of corrugated plastic and twin-wall polycarbonate encloses an artist’s studio designed by Marc Frohn of FAR frohn&rojas.

The large skylight over the bed was a necessary addition for Peterson-Hui. Polycarbonate panels let in light without making the camper a fishbowl. At night, campers slide the curtains (which are shower curtains cut short) closed for extra privacy.

A small terrace on the second floor is partially enclosed with battens and polycarbonate for privacy, but the spacing of the battens and the translucency of the polycarbonate still allow for light and views of the city beyond.

The walls of this contemporary one-room cabin are covered in insulating polycarbonate siding.

A small door lets cooks and hungry interns into the Cor-Ten steel and corrugated polycarbonate tube.

Polycarbonate clerestory panels pull daylight into the living space.

The triangular window is made from polycarbonate, which was chosen for safety reasons.

The new bathroom includes a polycarbonate shower, which has been spray-painted silver to mimic corrugated iron. "We chose polycarbonate because it’s lightweight, more malleable, and a cheaper option than actually using metal," adds Grace.

Translucent and transparent polycarbonate window panels punctuate the facade to flood the interior with natural light.

Jorge appreciates his efforts at twilight. The polycarbonate panels that partially clad the exterior of the structure provide a warm glow, adding life to Tijuana’s densely packed rolling hillsides

The bronze polycarbonate cladding at the rear of the garage of Cove Site Works carries around at the clerestory level.

Simple passageways with polycarbonate glazing, wood framing, and polished concrete floors connect the structures.

A pergola made of opaque, corrugated polycarbonate extends from the front facade and guards against bright sunlight, wind, and rain.

The polycarbonate interior is bounded by an exterior band of reclaimed white-cedar siding, open to the sky.

The exposed pine beams finished in OSMO oil support the polycarbonate opal/diffused panels set on aluminum glazing bars.

From this angle, all three buildings can be seen, two of which are clad in wood. The foremost building is wrapped in white polycarbonate.

The studio was has constructed with low-cost materials, such as profiled bitumen sheet for the roof, polycarbonate for the clerestory, and spruce ply linings.

Now light emanates through the house’s rear window, and through polycarbonate panels concealing the upstairs bedroom.