Use of Kalwall Highlights Award-Winning Project

Originally built as a factory in the 1950s, the Crouch End Picturehouse in London underwent a transformation to become a dynamic cinema attraction that was sustainable and modern. Kalwall translucent sandwich panels were a key element in that design.

The success of that design was recognized recently when the building’s architect, Panter Hudspith of London, was honored with three industry awards.

In 2016, the Crouch End Picturehouse project won the Architects’ Journal Retrofit Award for Leisure, Best Green Design from the Haringey Design Awards and the Architect of the Year (Sports & Leisure) from the Building Design Architect of the Year Awards.

The Architects’ Journal Retrofit Awards “recognize and celebrate design, engineering and construction excellence that prolongs and improves the life of the built environment,” while the Haringey Design Awards are for “environmentally sustainable schemes.”

The Building Design Architect of the Year Awards are a “celebration of architecture” and honor achievement in particular sectors.

Kalwall panels can be found on the first and second levels of the cinema, replacing the original colored glass wall. The Kalwall wall system efficiently serves as a heat insulator, while its lighting system is perfect for viewing the building at night.

“We felt the Kalwall system was a very good fit for what we wanted to achieve,” says James Jeremiah, project architect at Panter Hudspith.