Diffused daylighting gives Hope

Highly insulating Kalwall^® has been used for one of the most unusual non-secular buildings ever constructed, the Canadian Our Lady of Hope Mausoleum in Ancaster, Ontario. The design concept from Young + Wright/IBI Group Architects addresses the spiritual character of the building’s purpose by its extraordinary shape and the way in which it maximises the ingress of daylighting. The structure of the building is entirely concrete, clad in stone and zinc, with the interior mainly marble and limestone to contrast with its fenestration.

Entered under a large cantilevered canopy, the Mausoleum is symmetrical with its major elements located along its north axis.  The dramatic break of the building occurs along its central concourse where the raised organically shaped roof floods the interior with light.  This is achieved by imaginative use of the design flexibility and daylighting performance of the Kalwall translucent building system.

Highly insulating Kalwall, widely used for cladding and rooflights, is designed to transmit Museum-Quality Daylighting^™. This bathes the interior with natural diffused daylight while eliminating glare and shadows and creating a unique ambience. The Mausoleum demonstrates how the panels, manufactured to order and normally supplied flat, can also be used in a completely different way with the proprietary Kalcurve^® variation.

Apart from being specified for all types of new build, Kalwall is increasingly used for the refurbishment of cladding or rooflights on aged buildings.

Project and technical information are available from Structura UK, the exclusive distributor for Kalwall translucent daylight building systems for England, Wales and Northern Ireland and a leading supplier, fabricator and installer of glass curtain walling, rainscreens, glass atria, windows and other architectural glass building products. Case studies and technical information are available from Structura UK Ltd, Tel: 01233 501 504 or visit www.structura-uk.com/kalwall