NEW READING ON DAYLIGHTING LIBRARIES

For some, the word "library"still conjures up somber images of dimly lit, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and dour librarians scolding every sound above a whisper. By contrast, today's libraries are most often light, airy and energetic places humming with the latest media and research technology. One major design challenge is managing daylighting.

From one or two terminals to entire clusters, computers are a staple of the modern library. They have supplanted old card catalogs and guides to periodicals and are often wired to other libraries as well as universities around the world. Computer screens are susceptible to glare from the uncontrolled daylight of windows, making them hard to read and causing eyestrain. Moreover, many library designs call for daylighting. The solution? Build new libraries and retrofit old ones with window or curtainwall systems and skylights comprised of translucent sandwich panel glazing.

Kalwall's glare-free, diffuse, natural daylight is ideal for reducing computer screen glare and general eyestrain while also saving on lighting costs. The panels' translucent, diffuse light properties deliver the best quality of natural daylight. Even on cloudy days, Kalwall transmits even, usable natural light and eliminates harsh glare, hot spots and shadows often associated with traditional glazing. Minute glass fibers within the surface of the panels act like prisms to magnify and transform even the lowest levels of daylight into uniformly balanced illumination.

This managed daylight also protects precious assets. Libraries do their best to preserve their oldest, most valuable books, maps, etcetera. However, it would defeat their mission to lock away from public view every last, fragile bit of reference material. Kalwall helps there, too, by filtering out harmful ultraviolet rays that can fade, weaken and even destroy aging materials. The panels are also used in archival environments because their leakproof performance assures safekeeping of irreplaceable books and artwork.

Kalwall saves money, too. As libraries frequently operate on tight municipal or school district budgets, Kalwall reduces the cost of electric lighting by virtue of the quantity of usable natural daylight the panels admit. There are also heating and cooling issues to contend with. Because of their superior insulating performance, the panels pay for themselves in energy, maintenance, and installation cost savings. Kalwall is also rugged, shatterproof, vandal-resistant, and maintenance-free, further lowering expenses over time by reducing capital outlays for replacement.

For more information, contact:
Bruce Keller
Kalwall Corporation
1-800-258-9777

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