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Kalwall winner of green product award
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| Aug 26, 2010 |
Manchester, New Hampshire-based Kalwall Corporation has won the Green Product award in the third annual Lean and Green competition, sponsored by Business NH Magazine. Kalwall is a producer of sustainable fenestration systems and a world leader in green building, daylighting technology, and energy conservation. Kalwall building systems are sold worldwide and recognized primarily as translucent skylights and wall systems that transmit daylight into a space while eliminating glare, reducing thermal heat/cooling loss, and controlling solar heat gain to deliver significant savings in HVAC costs.
All Kalwall systems are based on a structural composite sandwich panel formed by permanently bonding, under heat and pressure, specially formulated, fiberglass-reinforced translucent faces to a grid core constructed of interlocked, structural aluminum/composite, thermally broken "I" beams. During the manufacturing process, Kalwall panels can be infilled with various densities of translucent insulation, including the revolutionary Kalwall+ NanogelÆ. U-factor performance ranges from a standard .29 to include options from .53 to .05 in the standard 2-3/4-inch (70 mm) or new 4-inch (100 mm) panel.
The Lean and Green judges noted Kalwall's contribution to effective daylighting in over 300 LEEDÆ-qualified buildings. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. KalwallÃs primary contribution to LEED is in the area of lighting credits, although it helps earn points in a number of categories. Kalwall has the unique ability to fill a space with diffused, natural daylight, even on cloudy, dark days; during bright, sunny weather, there is no harsh glare off computer screens and video monitors. Millions of prismatic glass fibers imbedded in the faces of Kalwall panels refract sunshine in a balanced, diffuse wash of glare-free, usable light.
In addition to 'greening up' new construction, KalwallÃs adaptability makes it a great choice for the renovation and reuse of existing, non-residential structures. Public school systems across the country have breathed new life into aging buildings using Kalwall Window Replacement Systems to replace large and leaky, traditional glass windows.
Kalwall goes green in other, less obvious ways, too. Depending on design configurations, the panels meet SRI (Solar Reflectance Index) requirements to reduce the ìheat islandî effect on roofs outfitted with Kalwall. Light pollution is virtually eliminated, as Kalwall can reduce light transmittance to less than 10%, preventing direct-beam illumination from leaving a buildingÃs interior. Kalwall is green even before it leaves the manufacturing plant: A typical system contains ± 20% post-consumer/pre-consumer recycled content.
Kalwall is rated a green and sustainable building component for both its material composition and the way in which it is manufactured. It reduces both the environmental impact of the building process and a structureÃs energy consumption. Importantly, it makes a substantial contribution to providing a safer and healthier indoor climate, while protecting the very air we breathe and the water we drink. KalwallÃs unique construction maximizes thermal insulation, resulting in reduced energy use and increased benefit to the environment.
Kalwall will be honored during the Lean and Green Awards reception, at the Portsmouth Harbor Events and Conference Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on September 14 at 8am.
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