Commercial Smart Film & Switchable Glass Partitions
Commercial smart film converts existing interior glass into switchable privacy glass. A conference room reads as open to the floor all week and goes fully private for a board meeting, without replacing a single partition panel.
The commercial case for filming instead of reglazing
Glass-forward interiors were specified for daylight and openness, then the privacy problem showed up afterwards — usually as blinds bolted onto a partition that was never designed to carry them. Replacing that glass with factory switchable units means demolition, lead time and a room out of service.
Filming the existing glass keeps the partition, keeps the ceiling detail and keeps the building running. That is the entire commercial argument, and it is why the product shows up most often in fit-outs of buildings that are already occupied.
Where it fits in a Delaware commercial building
We install architectural film across offices, healthcare, schools, retail, hospitality and government facilities. Smart film is the right tool in a narrower slice of those — the openings that genuinely need two states:
- Conference and board rooms that host both open collaboration and confidential discussion
- Executive offices inside an otherwise transparent floorplate
- Medical and dental operatories needing patient privacy with supervision sight-lines
- Hotel guest-room bath walls, spa treatment rooms and private dining
- Retail fitting rooms, appointment rooms and after-hours display glass
- Demountable and fixed glass partitions in a fit-out
Working in an occupied building
Two trades and a fabrication window mean smart film needs real coordination, not a same-week install. We survey, issue the panel and wiring layout, order against a 12–20 working day lead time, and schedule the dry-apply installation and the electrician's low-voltage connection together so the room is switched, tested and handed back in one closeout.
Where a room cannot be taken offline during business hours, we schedule it the same way we run our other after-hours installation work.
For architects, designers and general contractors
If you are specifying switchable privacy on a Delaware or Eastern Shore project, the constraints you need in the drawing set are the 5.9 ft maximum cut width (which drives panel layout and joint lines), the 45–60 VAC low-voltage supply and transformer location, the control type, and the requirement that a licensed electrician complete the connection.
We support submittals, samples and budget planning the same way we do on the rest of our commercial work — see our architect and GC resources, and bring us in early enough that the wiring path is drawn rather than discovered.
Published specifications
Published manufacturer figures for the PDLC material platform we install.
- Maximum cut width
- 5.9 ft
- Working voltage
- 45–60 VAC
- Electricity consumption
- 0.5 W per sq ft
- Product lead time
- 12–20 working days
- Application method
- Dry-apply
- Film warranty
- 5-year limited
Length is unlimited; wider openings are split into multiple panels.
Low-voltage system fed from a transformer / power supply.
Normal lead time; varies with sizes and quantity.
Installed without a wet water/slip solution.
Subject to proper handling, installation, wiring, testing and edge sealing.
Frequently asked
Can smart film be installed in an occupied office building?
Yes. Because the film is applied to existing glass, no glazing is removed and no demolition is required. Where a room cannot be taken offline during business hours, we schedule the dry-apply installation and the electrician's connection after hours.
How wide can a conference room glass wall be?
Any width. Maximum cut width per panel is 5.9 ft with unlimited length, so a wide partition is covered with multiple panels. Joint positions are laid out during the survey so they align with an intentional line rather than landing at random.
Who handles the electrical work on a commercial smart film project?
A licensed electrician completes the low-voltage connection — that is a requirement of the manufacturer's installation guidance, and improper wiring can void the warranty. We coordinate with your electrician or bring one in, and electrical scope may be billed separately.
What information do architects need to specify smart film?
Glass dimensions per opening, panel layout against the 5.9 ft maximum cut width, film type, wiring direction and path, transformer sizing and location, control selection, and installation conditions. We provide submittal support on Delaware and Eastern Shore projects.
Talk through your glass with someone who has measured a few thousand openings
Smart film cannot be priced from a photo — panels are fabricated to your exact openings and the wiring has to physically exist. A short on-site survey turns that into a real number.