BEACON OF KALWALL DAYLIGHTS THE WAY

Sixty years ago, movie theaters were cinema palaces that rivaled the most opulent productions Hollywood could dream up. Celebration! Cinema brings back some of the dazzle with a towering, 60-foot beacon, sitting atop the main lobby entrance and made almost entirely of Kalwall translucent panels, that is a glowing attraction in itself.

The cinema is just part of Celebration! Village, an intriguing, $75 million creation on 14.5 acres of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Village complex also includes office and retail space. The huge IMAX Theatre, with seating for 300, comprises 18 conventional theaters that can be hired for private functions that include an exclusive film screening. The result is a bustling, 160,000 square feet of restaurants, fun get-togethers as well as no-nonsense business gatherings, specialty food stores and of course, entertainment.

It's the Kalwall-clad beacon that really turns heads. "The original design called for glass," says Dave Sheasley of Architectural Glass & Metal, the Kalwall distributor for the project. Unlike the lighthouse that it resembles, the beacon is meant to attract, not warn away. "Obviously, the owner wanted to lure customers at night like moths to a flame, but he had concerns about glass allowing too much, uncontrolled light to shine outward. He envisioned a glow that was warm and welcoming, not stark and annoying. That's when I suggested Kalwall."

Sheasley explained that the translucent panels would create the proper glowing effect and would also be more thermally effective and cost less to install. "That's when the owner really got interested. I knew about another Kalwall installation in Michigan, so we took a little field trip to Champion Health and Fitness in Rockford." Champion volunteered the use of their space while Celebration! management coordinated an elaborate presentation by potential lighting system vendors. Once set up, each vendor was able to show differing lighting schemes, colors and intensity levels to be projected through the Kalwall panels to determine what colors and intensities combined best for the desired, glowing effect. It was quickly determined that the use of Kalwall panels on the beacon was the way to go. "The Celebration! Village owner liked what he saw so much that Champion’s white/white face sheet combination with 15 percent light transmission became the basis for design of the beacon."

When complete, the beacon used 2,800 square feet of Kalwall curtainwall on a 70-degree slope; another 1,500 square feet formed a clerestory around the box office and concession areas. True to expectations, using Kalwall cost $75,000 less than the initial glass design. "And since Kalwall is lighter than glass, it was also easier to install," adds Sheasley. "That saved us time, too."

And by day, as controlled daylight shines through the panels, the effect inside the Village is equally satisfying. Kalwall diffuse, translucent panels eliminate glare, harsh shadows and the accompanying eye strain to deliver a balanced wash of natural daylight. The daylighting also helps save energy by minimizing the degree of artificial lighting required. Even on cloudy days, the panels transmit even, usable, natural light. Minute glass fibers within their surfaces act as prisms to magnify and transform even the lowest levels of daylight into uniformly balanced illumination. Kalwall is highly insulating and delivers controlled heat gain and superior HVAC energy performance; it's also vandal-resistant and the sheeting action of its fiberglass surfaces allows it to clean itself with every rainfall.

Celebration! Cinema

Architect: Post Associates Architects; Grand Rapids, MI

Kalwall Specifications:
Beacon Curtainwall: 2,800 square feet
Clerestory: 1,500 square feet
Light Transmission: 15%
U-Factor: .23 thermally broken
Panel Color: White exterior and interior

For more information, contact:
Bruce Keller
Kalwall Corporation, 603-627-3861 (U.S. 800-258-9777)