PACCO Architectural Films began as a response to the sweltering heat of a family home. Today, its founder, Chris Lim, is leading a quiet revolution in sustainable building materials, one window at a time.
In a city where the sun never sets on sweltering heat, Chris Lim saw an opportunity. Not just to cool things down, but to do so smarter, greener, and with an eye on the long-term sustainability of modern buildings. What started as a personal frustration with ineffective window solutions became the seed for PACCO Architectural Films, a company now at the cutting edge of sustainable retrofitting for tropical cities like Singapore.
“Window film has been in the market for decades; however, the whole industry is still lagging in terms of sustainability thinking,” says Lim. “My family home faced such an issue of constant afternoon sun shining in, where my room’s wall is even ‘heated’ from the exposure of sunlight.”
Lim’s journey from heat-fatigued homeowner to green-tech entrepreneur has not only reshaped how buildings manage solar gain but also redefined what window films can contribute to global net-zero goals.
Taming Singapore’s Heat One Pane at a Time
Urban Singapore is a glass-and-steel metropolis sitting squarely on the equator. The overbearing Singapore heat is always the most common topic to talk about, Lim notes. The problem? Glass buildings soak up solar radiation, and air conditioning becomes a lifeline – one that often comes at a high carbon and cost price. PACCO’s high-performance window films reduce that dependency.
“By using PACCO’s high performance window film, it can greatly reduce the amount of solar heat coming through the windows which in turn reduces cooling energy of up to 30 percent” he explains. “This greatly improves the Envelope Thermal Transfer Value (ETTV), which is a key metric in BCA’s Green Mark scheme.”
This isn’t just an aesthetic upgrade; it’s a measurable contribution to operational carbon reduction. By intercepting solar energy before it even enters a building, PACCO helps clients cut operational carbon and avoid embodied carbon from renovation, by retrofitting existing glass rather than replacing entire façades.
Where Form Meets Function
PACCO’s flagship product, the PACCO GREEN film, is not just another tinted plastic strip on your window. “After creating this film, it gave us the highest performing film in the market where the appearance is clear and blocks the highest heat. This in turn allowed us to achieve Singapore Green Building Product of 4 ticks (Leader) status, which makes us the only window film to achieve that,” he explains.
“I have spent years researching and developing the best product for Singapore,” Lim says. “Our films use a technology of focusing on the reflection of heat rather than the conventional way of absorbing heat into the films, while still maintaining the clarity.”
Why does that matter? Most traditional films absorb heat, which then slowly leaks back into the building, which is a phenomenon known as re-radiation. “These heat absorbing films are more suitable and created for other climates where there are four seasons,” Lim explains. “In a tropical climate, this type of film is not suitable.”
PACCO’s innovation was to sidestep that flaw entirely, using sputtering technology and dual UV curing to develop a clearer, more durable product that actively reflects infrared heat before it gets inside.
Performance Without the Trade-offs
Architects have long wrestled with the tension between performance and appearance. Lim wanted neither to be sacrificed.
“I am a strong believer that performance shouldn’t come at the cost of aesthetics,” he says. Using ultra-thin layers of selective metals like silver or titanium via sputtering, PACCO films achieve high heat rejection while preserving the transparency of untreated glass.
The result? “A film that delivers high heat rejection, UV protection, and visible light comfort, all while maintaining the clean, elegant look of untreated glass,” Lim adds. “That’s why our slogan is ‘Keep Cool, Keep Green.’”
A Business Built on Personal Values and Real Impact
Lim’s green epiphany didn’t happen in a boardroom. It happened under the unrelenting sun of his childhood bedroom. But as his company grew, so did its mission.
“We were just a mere window film company that just wanted to solve the problem of reducing heat. But bigger companies also contacted us and challenged us to not only reduce heat but to quantify that into energy savings.”
That led to a deeper commitment to sustainability at every level. PACCO tracks its own embodied carbon footprint across production and delivery, and Lim himself is a certified Green Mark Associate. “Sustainability should never just be a marketing message; it should be at the core of every decision we make.”
The Real ROI of Cooling Smarter
Naturally, cost is still a major hurdle for sustainable solutions. “The product can be the best product, but if the costs are rocket high, it will make no sense to use it,” Lim acknowledges. PACCO’s answer is simple: show the math and the comfort.
“We show customers that by installing our window films, we are able to show the tangible ROI and non-tangible benefits like improvement in mood and comfort,” says Lim.
This dual-pronged appeal has won over clients from residential homeowners to large commercial developers. In one striking case, a condominium owner cut air conditioning bills by 50 percent after installing PACCO films. And at NTUC Health facilities across Singapore, PACCO’s products helped improve thermal comfort while contributing toward Green Mark certification.
A Net-Zero Partner for the Built Environment
With stricter regulations and heightened environmental awareness, PACCO’s relevance has never been greater. “With higher green building standards, the main priority of buildings is how to be more energy efficient,” Lim says. PACCO’s Green40 film, which is certified with SGBC’s top rating, enables clients to directly lower ETTV scores and meet sustainability benchmarks.
As someone who understands both the product and the policy landscape, Lim takes pride in guiding clients through certification journeys. “Being a certified Green Mark Associate as well, I can better understand the green goals that customers need and advise on methods to achieve their target.”
Looking Through the Glass
PACCO isn’t just resting on its heat-reflecting laurels. Lim is already setting his sights on solar-harvesting technology. “I am constantly on the lookout for the next innovation,” he says. “Solar harvesting is something at the top of my list, and I’m looking into flexible clear films that can be easily retrofitted.”
His ambitions don’t stop at the Singapore skyline. PACCO’s vision is global. “We hope to install our window films in every window and every building, reducing heat and saving energy costs as much as possible,” Lim says.
