Function, style and efficiency: Another award-winning Kalwall Project

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Sep 28, 2014

The Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham, England is home to cutting edge technology in the manufacturing world, housed within a 100-acre campus of sharply-designed buildings that reflect that innovative spirit. Even there, the Design Prototyping and Testing Centre (DPTC) that features Kalwall® translucent wall systems stands out.

The two-story building that is part of the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre is a testament to function, style and efficiency.

The function in the design is the mezzanine level, encased with Kalwall panels, allowing instructors and researchers to view the large workshops below, creating an intimate relationship between the levels.
The style is in the form of the building’s exterior, a design by Bond Bryan architects that glows at night, and features Kalwall to engulf the facility in naturally diffuse daylight, which eliminates glare and shadows.

The efficiency also relies on the highly-insulated Kalwall system, which is rugged and has superior thermal properties and best in industry solar heat gain control. That factored into the DPTC earning the BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) Excellent rating for sustainable building design, construction and operation.

The project was a collaboration with Structura UK Ltd, the exclusive distributor for Kalwall systems in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The influence of Kalwall panels is evident throughout the Advanced Manufacturing Park, which includes three other facilities that feature Kalwall diffuse natural lighting systems.

About Kalwall

Kalwall® has been setting the industry standard for diffuse natural lighting systems since it was introduced globally at the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels and, again, at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. Much has changed since then, but the beauty, efficiency and ruggedness of Kalwall systems have not. Neither has Kalwall’s commitment to fine craftsmanship, custom work and continuing advances in technology. Kalwall is recognized for its innovations in window designs that provide a more predictable, better quality of usable natural light with superior thermal properties and best in industry solar heat gain control.

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