Building Facade Renovation | Acrylic Glowing Brick Wall

Author: JAFFA Acrylic Engineering Team | Updated: April 2026 | Reviewed by: Senior Architectural Material Engineer (Certification No.: AME-20240612) & Acrylic Product R&D Specialist (Certification No.: ARD-20240708)

In the bustling Xujiahui business district of Shanghai, where history and commerce intersect daily, a striking facade renovation project redefines the potential of old building upgrades. As a leading custom acrylic manufacturer with 12+ years of industry experience and 500+ architectural renovation projects completed, we are proud to share this innovative application of our custom glowing acrylic bricks, which transforms a historic building into a dynamic landmark that embodies the ever-evolving spirit of Xujiahui and Shanghai.

Xujiahui is a core commercial hub of Shanghai, defined by constant change—from evolving retail trends to the dynamic rhythm of urban life. When tasked with renovating an old commercial building in this district, our design goal was clear: create a unique, evolving architectural experience that stands out in the competitive Xujiahui business circle, while honoring the building’s historic context.

We rejected generic renovation solutions, instead pursuing a design that mirrors the district’s core trait: constant change. The result is a "glowing brick wall"—a seamless blend of traditional gray brick masonry and custom acrylic glowing bricks, which delivers dramatic visual contrast between day and night, and redefines the building’s identity in the urban landscape.

The project’s centerpiece is our custom acrylic glowing brick system, an original design developed by our engineering team. Each glowing brick is manufactured to match the exact dimensions of traditional gray bricks, ensuring a uniform, seamless appearance when laid with standard mortar.

Each glowing brick is a fully integrated, maintenance-friendly unit, engineered for durability and visual consistency:

• Core Light-Emitting Assembly: The unit combines a high-transmittance acrylic (PMMA) light-transmitting panel, a diffuser film, a light-guiding resin plate, and an LED strip, all encased in a 9cm-thick stainless steel inner box. This proprietary assembly ensures uniform, soft light emission, with a light transmittance of over 92% and a service life of 50,000+ hours (tested per national standard GB/T 2410-2008).
• Masonry-Compatible Design: Unlike conventional curtain wall systems, our glowing bricks are laid directly with traditional gray bricks using cement mortar, creating a monolithic, gap-free facade. This design eliminates visual discontinuity, preserving the building’s historic masonry aesthetic while adding dynamic lighting functionality.

The final masonry solution was the result of rigorous engineering testing and on-site validation, after we abandoned an initial curtain wall system plan for two critical reasons:

• Aesthetic Integrity: A unitized curtain wall would create tiny gaps between glowing bricks and gray bricks, breaking the facade’s visual unity and weakening the dramatic day-night contrast. The mortar masonry method ensures a seamless, continuous surface, making the glowing effect feel organic to the building’s structure.
• Maintenance Efficiency: A curtain wall system would require removing entire units to replace a single damaged brick, leading to high maintenance costs and downtime. Our custom design allows individual glowing bricks to be removed and replaced directly from the facade, without disturbing the surrounding masonry or the stainless steel box, drastically reducing maintenance complexity and cost.

For urban architectural and commercial renewal, change and differentiation are two defining, powerful elements. This ordinary commercial facade renovation achieves its uniqueness through controlled, dramatic change—with carefully engineered details that unify the building’s "two faces" (daytime historic brick, nighttime glowing landmark) into a single, cohesive identity.

As a custom acrylic manufacturer, this project demonstrates our expertise in developing material solutions that bridge traditional architecture and modern design. The acrylic glowing brick system is not just a decorative element: it is a durable, maintainable, and scalable solution for historic building renovations, commercial facades, and public art installations worldwide.

All glowing acrylic bricks used in this project are manufactured from 100% virgin PMMA material (not recycled), ensuring exceptional weather resistance, UV stability, and long-term clarity. Our factory in Shanghai operates a full production line from raw material processing to final assembly, with strict quality control per ISO 9001:2015 standards, guaranteeing that every product meets the highest architectural performance requirements.

Disclaimer: This article is for architectural and product reference only. All facade renovation projects must comply with local building codes, safety standards, and urban planning regulations. We recommend consulting professional architects and material engineers for on-site assessment and customized design.

Reference Sources:

1. National Standard GB/T 2410-2008 "Determination of Light Transmittance and Haze of Transparent Plastics"
2. JAFFA Acrylic Engineering Project Case Archive (Xujiahui Facade Renovation, 2024)
3. Acrylic Material Performance Test Report (China National Building Material Testing Center, Report No.: CNBM-20240315)
4. Shanghai Xujiahui Business District Urban Renewal Report (2023)