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Playing Peacemaker

PENSACOLA, FLA. – Acrylic block walls and partitions can fill a very important role in a family home --- that of peacemaker.

“No matter how close-knit a family is, everyone benefits from having their ‘own space’ for different activities in the home,” says Roger Murphy, president of Hy-Lite/U S Block Windows. “We’ve been told numerous times that acrylic block dividers are real lifesavers for families. They help create personalized spaces for children’s activities, home offices and workout rooms.”

Constructed of durable acrylic blocks, walls and partitions from Hy-Lite/U S Block Windows can be installed quickly in any area of the home. The obscure blocks provide privacy yet allow light to flow through to enhance each area of the home.

The Great Divide
At the Lukert home in Douglasville, Georgia, homeowners Phil and Lindy Lukert were tasked with how to divide up their 2,900 square-foot basement into a multi-purpose area. “This was a huge amount of space and we really wanted to have a home gym,” says Lukert. “The challenge was finding a way to make the basement multi-functional so the kids would also have their play areas. We didn’t want to simply put up walls. We needed to have defined spaces for everyone’s needs while still keeping the ‘big room’ feeling.”

Ready to assist with the challenge, architect Scott Darnell, AIA, suggested a partition wall made of Hy-Lite/U S Block Windows acrylic block. The obscure blocks allow light to flow throughout the room while offering privacy to the adults during their workouts. “The combination of a floor-to-ceiling radius wall and straight panels made of acrylic block added an unusual dimension to the basement,” says Darnell, principal at Darnell Design. “The structure helped create different areas designated for exercise equipment and play space while still keeping the overall basement connected.”

Attic Spaces
When Brent Bachelder decided to renovate the attic of his 1912 Providence, Rhode Island home, he wanted to break up one large space into a bathroom, office and kitchenette area. To gain his spacious contemporary work area, Bachelder knocked down walls from two side-by-side houses to create a giant attic.

“We used blue cross rib block panels from Hy-Lite/U S Block Windows to create a room divider for the kitchen and a private bathroom space," says Bachelder, creative director of Club Neopolsi Creations. “By using the blocks as a window at the top of our stairway we also brought much-needed light into that area.”

Home Offices
The constantly-increasing number of home office spaces created in houses nationwide has led to people “carving out” space wherever possible. Whether for business purposes or to create secluded areas for children to study, home offices are here to stay.

“Home offices are like nesting cocoons,” says interior designer Sherry Mitchell, IIDA. “There should be plenty of space and light flow, yet people should feel encapsulated in a quiet, private environment where they can concentrate on work. From a design standpoint, acrylic block partitions and walls create a calming effect --- just like water. Using them in the design of a home office makes the work space a more productive environment.”

Acrylic Block Panels to the Rescue
Acrylic block panels from Hy-Lite/U S Block Windows come pre-fabricated to the exact specifications of a project. Whether you desire a curvy wall to serve as an accent focal point of a home or straight panels that can be connected to create individual private workout areas, acrylic blocks can partition off a variety of spaces in homes and commercial projects. There are a diverse select of panel accessories (including Flat Caps, Corner Caps, Round Caps and Mounting Channels) to connect the panels.

The panel accessories are available in rust-resistant baked-enamel aluminum in white, tan, bronze and clear anodized to match aluminum frame colors. The pieces can be used with either six- or eight-inch sized acrylic block panels. All Hy-Lite/U S Block Windows acrylic blocks are made of high-quality, scratch-resistant durable acrylic. The airtight blocks are hermetically sealed to help prevent condensation and window units offer similar thermal benefits to traditional, dual-glazed units.

Headquartered in Pensacola, Fla., Hy-Lite/U S Block Windows offers the widest selection of prefabricated privacy products in the industry. Product lines are offered under both the U S Block Windows and Hy-Lite Products brand names and include a variety of operable and fixed acrylic block and decorative glass windows. Additional product offerings include glass block windows along with an assortment of acrylic block shutters, accent panels, radius walls, partition walls, door inserts and shower kits. For more information visit www.hy-lite.com and www.usblockwindows.com or call 888-256-2599.
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