PMMA acrylic glass is commonly used for constructing residential and commercial aquariums. Designers started building big aquariums when poly(methyl methacrylate) could be used. It is less-used in other building types due to incidents such as the Summerland disaster.
Acrylic is used for viewing ports and even complete pressure hulls of submersibles, such as the Alicia submarine's viewing sphere and the window of the bathyscaphe Trieste.
PMMA is used in the lenses of exterior lights of automobiles.[24]
The spectator protection in ice hockey rinks is made from PMMA.
Historically, PMMA was an important improvement in the design of aircraft windows, making possible such iconic designs as the bombardier's transparent nose compartment in the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.
Police vehicles for riot control often have the regular glass replaced with acrylic to protect the occupants from thrown objects.
Acrylic is an important material in the making of certain lighthouse lenses.[25]
PMMA was used for the roofing of the iconic compound in the Olympic Park for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. It enabled a light and translucent construction underlining the democratic approach to the games.[26]
PMMA (under the brand name "Lucite") was used for the ceiling of the Houston Astrodome.