Kalwall Corp. has has made available its most highly insulating, translucent building system: Kalwall+ aerogel, now utilizing Lumira aerogel. "This new Cabot brand name, known for its unique daylighting insulation and formerly called Nanogel, represents an emphasis on a technology at the leading edge of architectural daylighting," said Kalwall's Bruce Keller.
Previously, Cabot used the Nanogel name for all its aerogel products in various markets - from building insulation and industrial coatings to energy pipelines and insulated apparel. Cabot's rebranding strategy creates separate identities and new names for products in each application.
For architects, building owners and specifiers, Lumira aerogel, utilized in Kalwall+ aerogel translucent building systems, represents Kalwall's continued dedication to materials and technologies that create the most highly insulating, structural daylighting systems in the world.
Kalwall began the use of Cabot aerogel in 2003 and since that time has installed Kalwall+ aerogel systems in more buildings around the world than any other aerogel-based building product or system. Their performance success and recognition has led high technology daylighting into a new era.
Lumira aerogel increases thermal insulation, improves acoustics, and reduces a building's life cycle costs. Its performance means that architects and designers can now create large areas of daylighting in walls and roofs that can be as energy efficient as an insulated solid wall. Kalwall+ Lumira aerogel achieve U-values of 0.05 Btu/hr/ft2/ºF or 0.3W/m2K.
Because Lumira aerogel is reusable, safe for humans and ecological systems, and is manufactured with little or no impact on the environment, it was awarded Silver Cradle to Cradle certification from McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry. This stringent, independent certification process examines a product's manufacturing characteristics and ecological impact with the aim of eliminating waste entirely and creating a healthy and sustainable society.
Cabot's branded Lumira aerogel composed of hydrophobic, glass bead-like particles that are over 90% air, contained in a structure with pore sizes less than the mean free path of air molecules. Kalwall translucent, structural sandwich panels infilled with Lumira aerogel form the high-performance Kalwall+ aerogel building panel.