Kalwall Recent Projects -Progressive Lumberman Affiliates (PAL)

COOPERATIVE DAYLIGHTING

PAL

In an era of big-box, home improvement chain stores, it’s increasingly difficult for smaller, independent lumber and building material retailers to compete in the marketplace. But making it possible for these independent operators to offer name brand products at the best prices is hardly a new problem. That’s why Progressive Affiliated Lumbermen, Inc. (PAL) was formed back in 1937.

Today, this not-for-profit cooperative still brings together suppliers, member dealers and, serving as a buying agent, PAL itself. On their own, these dealers could not even hope to negotiate the favorable prices on everything from milled Douglas fir to paint brushes made possible by the buying power of PAL’s Forest Products and Building Materials departments. PAL also keeps its members up to date on the latest industry trends and products through buying shows, newsletters and frequent market reports.

The coop’s almost 20,000-square-foot, Grand Rapids, Michigan, headquarters is a fairly simple, rectangular, two-storey building, originally of brick and glass blocks. The blocks formed large curtainwalls as well as, in the building’s northwest quarter, a striking serpentine wall reaching almost the structure’s entire height and capped by an overhang.

But there were problems. “For starters, we knew we were wasting HVAC dollars,” says PAL’s Bill Danzig. “The glass blocks, which made up fully half the area of the exterior walls, transmitted both cold and heat. Meanwhile, the grout was deteriorating, allowing moisture to seep into the joints between the blocks. When the moisture would freeze in the winter, the resulting expansion would crack them.” Eventually, water began leaking into the building at the ground level. Kalwall was chosen to replace them.

Danzig knew of several other major projects in the Grand Rapids area that had employed Kalwall, built by owners he knew would demand only the very best. Kalwall is a structural composite sandwich panel formed by permanently bonding specially formulated, fiberglass-reinforced translucent faces to a grid core constructed of interlocked structural I-beams. The translucent sandwich panels are laminated under a controlled process of heat and pressure and are factory prefabricated to assure leakproof performance. “We get very heavy rains in the fall,” adds Danzig, “so leakproof was very important.”

In the standard 2-3/4" (70 mm) Kalwall panels, U-value options range from .53 to as low as .05 as tested and/or computer modeled according to NFRC-100 procedures endorsed by the Department of Energy. The system used at Progressive Affiliated Lumbermen called for panels with U-values as low as .14 (thermally broken), resulting in an NFRC-certified system U-value of .21. Notes Danzig, “The eastern part of the building, especially, no longer feels like a freezer in the winter and a sauna in the summer. We’re saving 10 to 15 percent every year on energy costs.”

PAL

But only after the project was complete did PAL employees fully appreciate Kalwall’s other, primary advantage over glass and traditional windows: controlled, museum-quality, natural daylight. “Not only does the Kalwall blend beautifully with the building's interior,” says Danzig, “it actually brings more and much better natural light deep inside.” Kalwall also eliminates the glare, harsh shadows and accompanying eye strain of a glass installation. And relying less on artificial lighting contributed to PAL’s significant energy savings.

Equally important, of course, were the building's aesthetics. “I don’t think any of us at PAL were sad to see that old glass block go,” recalls Danzig with a smile. “Inside it had always felt a bit boxed-in and cold. The place looked pretty dated, too; the Kalwall curtainwall really brought us into the 21st century. At the same time, we wanted to keep the serpentine wall. The shape is unusual and something you seldom see in today’s architecture. Kalwall’s Kalcurve™ panels were the only product that would complement the form.”

Danzig can’t say enough about the results of PAL headquarter’s Kalwall renovation. “Construction went smoothly. The glass blocks popped out and the Kalwall snapped in like perfect puzzle pieces. The appearance is pleasing; the overall design has eye appeal and flows better. Kalwall brings the building up to date but won’t look dated itself in 30 or 40 years. The employees like it, I like it and it gives the building a warm, comfortable look. It’s inviting and makes you want to come inside.”

Progressive Affiliated Lumbermen, Inc.
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Kalwall Panel Specifications:
Total Panel Area: 1,596 square feet
Light Transmission: 15%
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient: 0.15
Panel U-Value:
.14 thermally broken (curtainwall)
.22 (Kalcurve)
NFRC System U-Value: .21
Exterior Panel Color: Crystal
Interior Panel Color: Crystal

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