Façade Materials Let Daylight In, Keep Weather Out

Most of us have mixed feelings about the weather. We dread the onset of winter and the cold weather that it brings. We’re none too enthusiastic about rain, even though we welcome it so that our gardens and water supplies are replenished. We don’t like windy days because there’s always a risk if the wind is gusting at a powerful rate, that the force may bring down power lines or tear off roofs. We like warm days without excessive humidity, but we don’t always get weather like that. One thing on which we’re all in agreement, however, is that natural light is one of the best features of the natural world. Who doesn’t appreciate the better illumination that it provides, along with the instinctive improvement in our moods? Danpal, a company with half a century of experience in the building industry, had come up with a product, façade materials, that allows us to enjoy the best of weather—the light—while protecting us from the worst.

ENJOY DAYLIGHT WITH FAÇADE MATERIALS

Natural light is one of our favorite aspects of the outdoors and Danpal has blended our appreciation for daylight with its building manufacturing to pioneer “daylighting architecture.” That’s a form of building that permits the presence of natural light into our buildings, both homes, and offices.

Natural light provides illumination that doesn’t just help us to see better; it also helps us feel better. We know from scientific studies that people are more productive and more optimistic in natural light. Façade materials aren’t attempting to replace artificial light, but they give us the ability to enjoy the light that nature created for us.

Facade Materials FAÇADE MATERIALS NEED TO BE STRONG AGAINST WEATHER

What kind of building material is strong enough to withstand the never-ending onslaught of the elements? How can a company create a product that is able to endure the battering force of storm winds, the fury of a downpour of rain, an attack of hail, a heavy snowfall?

Weather doesn’t let up; it simply changes seasons. But Danpal, with a skilled crew of engineers, has relied upon research and development to manufacture façade materials that are strong.

Thanks to microcell technology and a snap-lock connection system, Danpal façade materials keep the weather outside. The higher load resistance comes from our double-click locking seam. We have excellent thermal insulation thanks to the cell structure of the Danpal façade materials. Our façade materials even have UV protection so that the intensity of the sun won’t cause damage.

FAÇADE MATERIALS AND FLEXIBILITY ARE A TEAM

It may seem surprising that our façade materials are so flexible. We don’t always associate strength with flexibility but the ease of installation is a known characteristic of Danpal manufacturing.

Façade materials need to be strong so that they won’t be damaged by the weather. They must also be light in weight so that they’re easy to work with. We’re pleased to say that our façade materials meet our expectations in both regards.

FAÇADE MATERIALS MAKE BUILDINGS BETTER, INSIDE AND OUT

An architect, when designing a building, is always thinking about the future. How will the building stand up to the elements? What kind of building materials should be used so that the structure can remain strong and functional for a long period of time? What are the regulations that must be observed in order for the building to be in compliance with federal codes? Is the building designed with a style that is going to suit the location? All of this needs to be considered before the building actually takes its physical form. Choosing a building material from a reliable manufacturer known for quality products is vitally important; the building is only as good as what it’s made of. That’s why architects choose Danpal for the building materials that represent quality. A building has to be strong enough to withstand the punishing effects of weather, and Danpal, with half a century of experience and knowledge, represents quality in today’s market. We design products that will take your buildings into the future because they’re built to last. Our façade materials are one of the ways that a building can enjoy a longer life span, because façade materials protect against weather.

Façade MaterialsFAÇADE MATERIALS ARE STRONG BECAUSE OF MICROCELL TECHNOLOGY

How do you design a product that’s strong enough to withstand the fury of snow and wind, the power of a rainstorm, the endless force of the sun, and the battering of hail? If you’re Danpal, you devote resources to your research and development team so that they will create innovative products that are capable of defending a building against weather. Our façade materials have a snap-lock connection system that effectively stops the outside elements from invading a building. The double-click locking seam delivers a higher load resistance. The cell structure of our façade materials is what makes superior thermal insulation possible, enabling the building to protect its internal workings from the peril of weather. UV protection keeps the sun’s harmful effects from causing damage.

DANPAL FAÇADE MATERIALS ARE EASY TO WORK WITH

You might think that something as strong as Danpal’s façade materials must be very heavy and cumbersome, but the exact opposite is true. Our façade materials are strong in function but light in weight. They’re flexible and easy to work with so that installation is quick and effortless. Saving time and money with Danpal’s façade materials is a smooth, smart process from beginning to end.

FAÇADE MATERIALS BRING DAYLIGHT TO YOUR BUILDING

Okay, so the building design is over and the installation is complete. Here comes the next question: how does it look? Danpal, a pioneer in daylighting architecture, has developed façade materials that can make natural light a feature of your indoor living and working spaces. You know how much easier it is to see with when you’re outside in daylight; now you can find out what it’s like to have that natural lighting at work inside. Natural light has benefits that extend beyond vison. Studies have proven that natural light enhances our mood; it promotes optimism and make us more productive. We feel better in natural light. Danpal façade materials can make it happen.

Skylight Roofing Captures Daylight

As the weather begins to change from cold, chilly winter to warmer spring, we all try to spend as much time outside as we possibly can. For everyone who lives in the climate zones where snow, cold winds and ice are a feature of daily existence for three to four months of the year, spring is like the call of the siren. We want to go outside and enjoy the beauty of nature, the fragrant breezes, and most of all, the daylight. But we can’t, because we have to stay inside to work. Once we get home, we’re so busy with household tasks and family needs that the day seems to escape from us. Maybe that’s why skylight roofing is so popular; it’s a way to capture some of that daylight even though we’re inside. Danpal skylight roofing, with the famed daylighting architecture that Danpal has pioneered, is one way to hold onto as much natural light as possible, even when inside.

SKYLIGHT ROOFING BRINGS IN MORE LIGHT

If you think that you feel better in natural light, you’re not imagining it. Studies have proven what we already now: we like the light! We’re more productive in natural light; we feel better about ourselves; our attitude is more positive. We need artificial light, too, but there’s just nothing like the natural light and with skylight roofing, that natural light is present inside your living space or work space.

Skylight Roofing THE COMPATIBILITY OF SKYLIGHT ROOFING WITH OTHER ROOFING TYPES

You’ll be glad to learn that whether your existing roof is concrete or profiled metal, skylight roofing is easy to install. Danpal’s roofing systems are customizable so that they can vary in length and size; this makes them easy to integrate and connect into place. What does this mean for the customer? Less time and effort during the installation process equals less inconvenience and less cost.

SKYLIGHT ROOFING IS STRONG ENOUGH FOR THE WORST WEATHER

Danpal uses microcell technology because it’s so strong. Weather is a fierce foe but a building has to be able to withstand the forces of nature, whether it’s the powerful rainstorms that send water flooding from the skies, or harsh winter snows and winds. There’s no way to avoid weather, so the only solution is to design buildings that are strong enough to handle it. That’s why microcell technology, with its resistance to the damage that weather can do, is such an asset for skylight roofing. And Danpal skylight roofing also has UV protection, because even those hot, sunny days that we love can be hard on a roof if it’s not protected.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DANPAVAULT BARREL VAULT SKYLIGHT SYSTEM

With the Danpavault Barrel Vault Skylight System, your building benefits from a skylight roofing system with evenly diffused natural light, optimum insulation, easy integration, and UV protection. Installation is no problem because it can be a self-supporting skylight or it can be placed on top of a metal structure. Different span sizes can be accommodated with aluminum framing options. Customization, always a favorite feature with architects, offers more freedom and flexibility in the design.

If you’re eager to have more daylight in your life, skylight roofing can make it happen.

What the future holds for glazing materials and finishing systems like Danpalon

The benefits of daylight when it comes to the design of structures cannot be underestimated. It helps to generate energy savings, reduces costs in the building process, can potentially increase productivity, is sustainable and enhances the mood of people inside of the structure, to name just a few things.

This is why architects have daylighting as one of their number one priorities in the design process. While there are many skylight makers and manufacturers on the market, none of them quiet have the end product that is like the Danpalon glazing system, which has been built for the future.

danpalonThe climate of our world is ever changing and with that comes the importance of having all aspects of your structure being fool proof when it comes to the various weather conditions that the structure will be exposed to on a daily basis.

You don’t want something that looks great and performs well in the short term, you need something that is sustainable, low maintenance and will retain its appeal even years into the future.

The balance between having glazing materials that are energy efficient, as well as being durable can often be a hard one to find. With construction looking to explode in the coming years in fastly developing countries, especially in areas of Asia like China, there is going to be a much greater demand for these types of materials. Especially as they are becoming more aware of the effects different materials can have on global warming, as well as the money savings they can achieve into the future.

The main aspects of a system that architects will be looking for will be a large thermal mass that can absorb the heat during the day and release it at night, look at different systems to compare the exclusion of solar gain, have systems that are completely air tight so as to exclude external hot air and high insulation levels in order to keep heat gain to a minimum with the building’s fabric.

As temperatures rise, the shading and glazing of a system are going to become vitally important. Shading systems for structures will come to the fore; building materials that are reflective and do not retina heat will be used and powerful cooling systems that are powered by groundwater or domestic scale renewables will become more prevalent.

Benefits of Daylight in Public Buildings

 

The benefits of daylight in public buildings are many, including a positive effect on mental capabilities of the people who work and conduct business there, as well as the potential for saving energy. However, with that said, it is not enough to simply place a large, glass window on one side of a room and make the assumption that it will provide natural light for a room. Danpal translucent façade material offers an intelligent alternative to the plate glass window, with all of its attendant problems.

Why Windows Do Not Maximize Daylight

Benefits of DaylightWhile windows increase the amount of light in a room, they can also create glare and solar gain. Without careful planning, a large glass window can flood a space with painfully bright light and can act as a lens that will increase the amount of heat in a room. Because of these two factors, people who work in spaces that have large, glass windows frequently add window shades and curtains that can obviate the benefits of having a large expanse of transparent material capable of admitting natural light.

The result is the classic office or large living space that is rendered dark and gloomy thanks to heavy curtains. Furthermore, in warm climates, the energy savings of having natural light is heavily offset by added air conditioning needed to compensate for excessive solar gain. One might think that because of the ability for a glass window to warm up a room, that it would be an ideal situation for colder climates where daylight is minimal at certain seasons. Sadly, even in the winter months when daylight is admitted for shorter amounts of time, simple window glass has some serious drawbacks. Although it heats up a room during the day, it also allows heat to escape back out of the room – particularly at night. Furthermore, at certain times of the day – frequently at daybreak or at dusk, the lower angle of the sun’s rays can create a blinding glare in rooms where windows face either east or west. Here, again, inhabitants will use heavy curtains to cut the glare or they will use insulated drapes to minimize the natural heat exchange capability of glass.

How Danpal Translucent Facades Can Help

Danpal translucent facades are a smart and attractive alternative to the traditional glass window. First of all, they are translucent, rather than transparent. This immediately cuts down on the glare, and it also provides a modicum of privacy for desk workers while still admitting natural sunlight into a room. The translucent panels create a more diffuse light that creates a pleasant glow conducive to reading, writing or quiet conversation.

Second, Danpal also creates panels with operable shade functions so that people can adjust the settings to personal comfort levels without completely shutting out natural light. These translucent panels can create a variety of colorful effects that lend interest to the building as well as comfort to workers, customers and others who might be inside. More than that, the translucent facades come with UV blockers, which keep out the harmful parts of the sun’s rays, and well as toning down the heat index that is so characteristic of plain window glass. This allows enjoyment of natural light without the harmful potential for sunburn, skin damage or glare.

The Benefits of Daylight

Benefits of DaylightOne might ask, if natural light through windows has so many problems, why should we bother with it at all. The answer is that, even with all of the attendant difficulties, natural light has been shown to convey many benefits. Humans are primarily diurnal. That is, we are set up to function best in the daylight hours. Daylight not only make it easier for humans to see, it has a positive effect on the pineal gland – and organ modern science is only just beginning to understand. School children who are exposed to natural light for at least fifteen minutes per day – and more is better – tend to be more able to focus during class time, producing better school work and correspondingly good grades. Hospitals have found that patients who have undergone surgery have a better recovery rate when their rooms are open to an outside view and when they are exposed to natural, rather than artificial, lighting. Natural light or light therapy has even been shown to have a positive effect on Alzheimer’s disease patients, particularly the ones who have difficulty sleeping at night. When the light was administered in the morning, it was found that it reduced aggression sometimes displayed by some Alzheimer’s patients in the afternoon. For the rest of us, sunlight is simply uplifting.

ArchDaily Selects Design using Danpal Materials as One of Their Top One Hundred

 

ArchDaily is an online news source for the newest, trendiest and best in architecture. Recently they create a “Top One Hundred” page, featuring stunning examples of architecture. Among the recent editorial picks for this feature page is Hwa Hun, which means Blooming House in Korean. Irohe KHM Architects, the designers, made expensive use of Danpalon, a material from Danpal, as well as the Danpal Façade System in creating the “Blooming House.”

A Home with an Unusual Design

DanpalLocated in Seoul, near Bukhansan Mountain, Hwa Hun is constructed using a special design so that it appears to unfold like a blossom amid the attractively constructed, but more ordinary, dwellings nearby. The bright exterior presents an irregular roof line that forms the outside “petals” of the house.

Inside, level areas of garden are connected by stairs and walkways to flow from the forecourt garden, up the sides to a rooftop garden. The whole assembly is an irregular polyhedron and was created in response to the owner’s request that the house be “living in nature.” The unusual design maximizes use of the steep, natural slope of the lot, and to maximize the use of daylight for home lighting.

The living spaces of Hwa Hun flow naturally from the green garden spaces; in fact, in many instances, they are tucked under the various gardens: the forecourt garden, which welcomes entrance from the street, the inner court garden, the stair garden and the waterfall garden. All of the inwardly facing skins – those that do not front onto the street – are covered with greenery. This includes grass, fruit trees, and garden beds so that not only is the house shape itself a blossom, but the inner spaces of this dwelling will grow and bloom as the plants mature.

The Architects Make Use of Translucent and Transparent Building Materials

The room designs are comfortable and practical; each is flooded with light – a design feature made possible, in part, by use of translucent and transparent panels, alternated with other materials. The translucent and transparent inner panels – essential for bringing light into the various rooms – makes extensive use of Danpalon. For example, the living room door and the door of the second floor room are both made of Danpalon set in wooden frames. The walls for the living room and the second floor room are double walled panels of Danpalon, and so is the hallway ceiling. The canopy is created using Danpalon over steel pipe.

The opaque exterior makes use of exposed concrete and stainless steel roofing panels. Triangular recessed windows are finished with aluminum pairing and triple glass. A tempered glass handrail adds to the feeling of light. Connective seams are angled to add visual interest while managing the integrity of the roofing material.

A Home That Reflects and Makes Use of the Natural Environment

DanpalThe end result is a living space that is visually interesting both outside and inside, and permits growing plants that range from grasses to the fruit trees previously mentioned. It even incorporates the waterfall garden, incorporating a peaceful and pleasing sound. Utilitarian areas, such as the parking garage with space for two cars and storage areas are tucked out of sight, yet are easy to access. The design includes a master bedroom and three smaller bedrooms, a master bath, living room, kitchen, dining room and utility room — there is even attic room at the top if a little more space is needed.

The view from the roof top garden, where young fruit trees are carefully braced, reveals that Hwa Hun is nestled in a valley, surrounded by tall mountains. The design of the house resembles those mountains, rooted as it is through the basement garage, then opening onto the street level from the first garden, then sweeping up the two outer stairs to the roof top garden. It would be very interesting to view this house at a time ten years in the future, when the trees will be more fully grown and when it will have been home to a family. It has all the potential to become a Blooming House, indeed.

Home designs such as Hwa Hun are made possible by modern building materials that maximize use of daylight without forcing the occupants to endure excessive solar gain or blinding glare. Building materials, such as those from Danpal, help make these modern designs possible by making available transparent, translucent and even opaque materials that combine light and color to create designs that could only have been dreamed of by earlier generations of architects.