Recent redevelopment of the food court at Kings Mall Shopping centre, on a five-acre site in London’s Hammersmith area, exposed up some interesting and complex challenges.
As part of the ongoing development, the new residential apartments above the shopping centre were being adversely affected by light pollution and lack of privacy from visitors looking through the food court atrium.
To solve this problem, owners and developers Schroders decided to install Kalwall translucent cladding around the whole of the atrium. This screened the external courtyard above, thereby mitigating the issues around privacy, while maintaining the maximum levels of interior daylight.
Installed in a Verti-Kal pattern, the Kalwall panels complement the industrial feel of the redevelopment and its hard concrete and stone surfaces, while providing several benefits for shoppers and residents alike.
This project perfectly illustrates the advantages of Kalwall over traditional glazing. Here it offers complete line-of-sight protection, maintaining privacy for the residents and controlling light pollution, while bathing the interior with diffused daylighting, regardless of the weather. The panels are lightweight but very durable with excellent resistance to impact and scratching. They are also vandal resistant with good protection against windborne debris.
In addition, Kalwall’s insulating properties mean that U-values down to 0.28 can be achieved while daylight is driven deeper into the interior space below, thereby reducing energy costs for both artificial lighting and temperature control.
The exterior face is colour stable and includes a UV resistant, self-cleaning surface. This means that normal rainfall helps to keep the surface free of dust and dirt while at the same time retaining the original colour during the weathering process. All this helps to reduce the costs of maintenance and cleaning.