We Can Fix the Ugly: Transforming Aging Buildings with Kalwall

Old doesn’t always mean obsolete. Many aging buildings have structural systems with years of useful life remaining, even when their facades, roofs, skylights or exterior enclosures are failing, inefficient or simply unattractive.

Kalwall can fix the ugly.

Recladding with Kalwall can transform an aging building while taking advantage of suitable existing structural components. More importantly, the transformation goes far beyond appearance. Kalwall translucent sandwich panel systems provide a building envelope solution designed around long-term performance rather than a single objective—combining energy savings, thermal performance, occupant comfort, privacy, durability, architectural flexibility and lasting value.

Give an Old Facade a New Face

A dated or deteriorating facade can make an entire building look past its prime. Recladding with Kalwall provides an opportunity to create a clean, contemporary exterior while significantly improving the performance of the building envelope.

Kalwall’s highly insulating translucent panels help control heat transfer while filling interiors with balanced, diffuse daylight. This can reduce dependence on artificial lighting while helping control solar heat gain, contributing to energy savings and improved occupant comfort.

At the same time, Kalwall provides privacy without sacrificing natural light—an advantage for schools, healthcare facilities, municipal buildings, workplaces and other applications where traditional transparent glazing may not be ideal.

Bring New Life to Aquatic Facilities

Aquatic environments present unique challenges. Constant humidity, moisture and chemically treated air can be demanding on building materials, while large areas of traditional glazing can create glare, uncomfortable solar heat gain and privacy concerns.

Kalwall systems are well suited to these demanding environments. Diffuse daylight minimizes harsh glare and shadows around reflective water surfaces, while insulating panels contribute to a more comfortable interior environment. Durable, corrosion-resistant system options provide lasting performance in spaces where material selection is critical.

The result can be a dramatic transformation: an aging aquatic enclosure becomes a bright, comfortable and visually striking facility built for years of continued use.

Transform Aging Roofs

A deteriorating roof or overhead daylighting system can lead to leaks, poor thermal performance and uncomfortable interior conditions.

Kalwall roof and skyroof systems can replace aging assemblies and, where project conditions permit, incorporate suitable existing structural components. High-performance translucent panels bring natural light deep into interior spaces while helping control glare and solar heat gain.

Instead of simply replacing an old roof with another opaque surface, renovation becomes an opportunity to improve daylighting, energy performance and architectural character at the same time.

Replace Failing Skylights

Yellowed, cracked, leaking or poorly insulated skylights can quickly become liabilities. They can compromise the appearance of a building while contributing to excessive heat gain, heat loss, glare and maintenance concerns.

Replacing failing skylights with Kalwall transforms those problem areas into high-performance daylighting features. Kalwall provides soft, evenly distributed natural light while offering excellent thermal performance and durability. Existing openings—and potentially portions of the existing supporting structure—can often be incorporated into the renovation strategy.

More Than a Facelift

The real value of recladding with Kalwall is that it addresses multiple building priorities at once.

A single renovation can deliver energy savings, improved thermal performance, balanced daylight, occupant comfort, privacy, durability, architectural flexibility and long-term value. Kalwall systems can also give architects considerable design freedom, with a range of configurations, panel options, colors and grid patterns available to help redefine a building’s architectural identity.

And by evaluating opportunities to work with the structure already in place, owners may be able to extend the useful life of an existing building rather than pursuing a more extensive demolition and reconstruction project.

Keep the Structure. Change the Building.

A building may look tired. Its envelope may be inefficient. Its skylights may be failing. Its aquatic enclosure may have seen better days.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the building itself has reached the end of its life.

Old. Failing. Dated. Ugly. We can fix that.

With Kalwall, recladding is an opportunity to transform an aging building into a beautiful, comfortable and high-performing environment designed to deliver value for decades to come.

Contact your Kalwall representative to discuss your project.