X2 Warehouse, Heathrow Airport, Middlesex, England
Posted
09/1/2009
When it became
increasingly difficult and expensive to site enough warehouse space
at Heathrow Airport to keep pace with the growth of one of Europe's
busiest air cargo hubs, London based developer Brixton PLC, looked
into fully accessible, high-capacity, multistory warehouses that
were already a success in Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.
Designed by London-based Cornish Architects, the multistory X2
Warehouse incorporates Verti-Kal by Kalwall Corp., Manchester,
N.H., to accentuate the building's height. Verti-Kal is a design
variation on the traditional, rectangular grids of Kalwall's
translucent wall system. The panels incorporate internal,
continuous supports to provide a vertical emphasis instead of
standard shoji or square grid layouts. The 242,600-square-foot
(22,538-m2) Xbuilding features both warehouse and office space that
can be configured for as many as eight tenants or consolidated for
fewer units.
Kalwall supplied
5,000 square feet (465 m2) of its Verti-Kal wall system, with a
Crystal exterior and White interior, and 20 percent light
transmission. The Verti-Kal system distributes diffuse day light
throughout the warehouse, even on cloudy days, drastically reducing
the amount of artificial lighting required and eliminating shadows
and glare, as well as stark contrasts of light and shade.
Verti-Kal's format creates an entirely different look, while still
utilizing the most highly insulating, diffuse-light-transmitting,
structural composite technology.
Verti-Kal can be supplied in panels up to 5 feet (1.5 m) wide and
up to 12 feet (4 m) high, unitized for multistory applications. The
X2 Warehouse starts with a hybrid of ground-source heat pumps and
more conventional systems to keep HVAC costs down. During the
manufacturing process the standard 2 3/4-inch (70-mm) Verti-Kal is
infilled with specialized, translucent insulation, achieving
insulation values up to R-10.
The Kalwall systems are self-cleaning, with normal rainfall
creating a sheeting action to scrub the surface. This makes
Verti-Kal a wise choice for airport environments where jet fuel
residue and deicing spray tend to cover buildings with an unsightly
film.
Kalwall Corp., Manchester, N.H.