Overview
The Design Prototyping Testing Centre (DPTC) forms part of the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), a world-leading innovation hub that brings together researchers, engineers, and industry partners to develop next-generation manufacturing technologies.
The DPTC was designed as a highly functional building where designers, engineers, and researchers collaborate to develop and test new products and advanced manufacturing processes. Because the building houses creative and technical workspaces, the design needed to prioritise environmental quality, visual comfort, and energy efficiency.
One of the key design requirements was to create a working environment that maximised natural daylight while avoiding glare that could interfere with design work, prototyping, and testing activities. Achieving this balance required a façade system capable of delivering consistent, evenly distributed daylight throughout the interior.
Structura was appointed to design and supply a specialist façade solution using Kalwall translucent cladding systems and skylights. The result is a faceted façade that floods the interior with soft, diffused natural light while supporting the building’s sustainability objectives and enhancing the working environment within the centre.
This project demonstrates how advanced façade engineering and translucent building materials can improve daylight performance, occupant comfort, and energy efficiency in research and innovation facilities.
Details
Client:
University of Sheffield
Location:
University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, Rotherham, Yorkshire
Architect:
Bond Bryan Architects
Main Contractor:
Miller Construction
Grid:
Reverse Shoji
Project Metrics
Key performance and project metrics include:
Façade System: Kalwall translucent wall system and skylights
Function: Research, prototyping, and design facility
Daylighting Strategy: Diffused natural daylight via translucent façade and roof skylights
Sustainability Rating: BREEAM Very Good
Campus Integration: Fifth building at the AMRC campus to utilise Kalwall technology
The Challenge
Designing the façade for a high-tech research facility presents a unique set of challenges. Unlike traditional commercial buildings, research centres require carefully controlled environmental conditions that support both technical work and collaborative design processes. For the Design Prototyping Testing Centre, the project team needed to address several key challenges.
Delivering High Levels of Natural Daylight
Natural daylight is widely recognised as an important factor in improving productivity, wellbeing, and creativity within workspaces. In a design and prototyping facility, daylight is particularly valuable because it provides consistent illumination for design evaluation, product development, and technical analysis. However, traditional glazing systems can create problems when used at scale. Large glazed façades may introduce glare, harsh sunlight, and uneven light distribution, all of which can negatively affect visual comfort. The challenge was therefore to introduce large volumes of natural daylight without causing glare or excessive solar gain within the building.
Creating a Comfortable Working Environment
The DPTC houses collaborative workspaces where engineers, designers, and researchers spend long periods working on complex projects. The internal environment needed to support visual comfort for precision work, consistent lighting conditions, reduced glare from direct sunlight, and a comfortable indoor atmosphere throughout the day. Achieving these conditions required a façade system capable of diffusing light evenly while maintaining strong environmental performance.
Supporting the Sustainability Strategy of the AMRC Campus
The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre campus has a strong focus on sustainability and low-carbon design. The DPTC was the fifth and final building on the campus to incorporate Kalwall translucent façade technology, demonstrating the long-term commitment of the campus masterplan to energy-efficient building design. The façade system therefore needed to contribute to the building’s sustainability performance and support the wider environmental goals of the campus.
Integrating Architectural Design & Technical Performance
The building design called for a visually distinctive façade that reflected the innovative nature of the research centre while also delivering high levels of technical performance. The façade needed to integrate seamlessly with the building architecture while providing daylight performance that supported the building’s internal activities. Balancing architectural expression with environmental performance was a key challenge addressed during the design and engineering stages of the project.
Structura’s Solution
Structura delivered a specialist façade solution using Kalwall translucent façade panels and skylights designed to maximise daylight performance while maintaining a comfortable internal environment. The solution combined façade engineering expertise with the unique properties of Kalwall translucent cladding systems.
Kalwall Translucent Façade System
The primary façade element used in the project was a faceted Kalwall translucent wall system. Kalwall panels are designed to diffuse incoming sunlight, scattering it evenly throughout interior spaces rather than allowing direct beams of sunlight to penetrate the building. This technology allows buildings to benefit from natural daylight while avoiding glare and harsh shadows.
In the case of the DPTC, the faceted façade design helps distribute daylight deep into the interior spaces of the building, ensuring that work areas receive balanced illumination throughout the day. The use of translucent panels also creates a soft, visually striking façade that reflects the innovative nature of the research centre.
Skylight Integration
In addition to the façade panels, Structura also designed and supplied Kalwall skylights as part of the daylighting strategy for the building. The skylights allow additional daylight to enter the building from above, further enhancing the distribution of natural light across internal spaces. Together, the façade and skylight systems create a comprehensive daylighting strategy that maximises natural illumination while maintaining comfortable indoor conditions.
Diffused Daylighting Performance
One of the key advantages of Kalwall translucent systems is their ability to deliver perfectly diffused daylight. Rather than allowing direct sunlight into the building, the translucent material spreads light evenly across interior surfaces. This approach significantly reduces glare and eliminates harsh contrasts between bright and shaded areas. For the Design Prototyping Testing Centre, this diffused daylighting approach provides an ideal environment for design work, prototyping activities, and collaborative research.
Supporting Low-Carbon Building Design
The Kalwall façade system also contributes to the building’s sustainability performance. By maximising natural daylight within the building, the façade reduces the need for artificial lighting during daylight hours. This helps lower energy consumption and contributes to the environmental performance of the building. The use of Kalwall technology across multiple buildings within the AMRC campus demonstrates the long-term commitment to sustainable construction and energy-efficient design within the research centre development.
Project Results
The Design Prototyping Testing Centre successfully delivers a high-performance working environment where natural daylight plays a central role in supporting design, engineering, and innovation activities. Through the integration of a Kalwall translucent façade and skylights, the project achieves several important outcomes.
Glare-Free Daylighting for Creative & Technical Workspaces
The most immediate benefit of the façade system is the quality of daylight within the building. The translucent Kalwall panels diffuse incoming sunlight, bathing the interior spaces in soft, evenly distributed daylight. This eliminates the glare and harsh contrasts that are often associated with traditional glazed façades. The result is a comfortable working environment where engineers and designers can focus on complex tasks without visual distractions.
Improved Workplace Comfort
The balanced daylighting environment created by the façade system enhances comfort levels throughout the building. Workers benefit from natural illumination that changes gradually throughout the day rather than experiencing sudden shifts in brightness or glare. This contributes to a more pleasant and productive working environment for staff and researchers using the facility.
Supporting the AMRC Campus Sustainability Goals
The Design Prototyping Testing Centre forms part of a wider sustainability strategy for the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre campus. By incorporating Kalwall translucent technology, the building supports low-carbon design principles and reduces reliance on artificial lighting. The building achieved a BREEAM rating of Very Good, demonstrating strong environmental performance across a range of sustainability criteria.
Consistent Architectural Identity Across the Campus
The DPTC is the fifth and final building at the AMRC campus to incorporate Kalwall façade technology, reinforcing the visual and environmental identity of the research centre. Using the same façade approach across multiple buildings creates architectural consistency while delivering reliable daylight performance throughout the campus. This approach reflects the campus’s long-term commitment to integrating sustainable materials and advanced façade engineering within its building designs.
Why Translucent Façade Systems Are Ideal for Research Facilities
Facilities such as research laboratories, design studios, and prototyping centres require lighting environments that support detailed work and collaborative activities. Translucent façade systems provide several advantages in these environments, including evenly distributed natural daylight, reduced glare compared to traditional glazing, improved visual comfort for occupants, reduced reliance on artificial lighting, and enhanced architectural expression. By carefully engineering daylighting strategies using materials such as Kalwall, buildings can achieve both functional performance and architectural distinction.
Structura’s Expertise in Daylighting & Façade Engineering
Structura works with architects, contractors, and developers to design façade systems that enhance building performance and user experience. By combining engineering expertise with advanced façade materials, Structura helps create buildings that are both technically efficient and architecturally distinctive. Projects delivered by Structura include:
- Translucent façade systems
- Curtain wall installations
- Skylight and roof glazing solutions
- Façade refurbishments
- Specialist daylighting strategies