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Overview
Foyle Arena is a £12.7 million sports and community facility located in Derry, Northern Ireland. The development forms part of a major redevelopment of the St Columb’s Park area and provides modern sporting infrastructure for both professional athletes and the local community.
The facility was designed to support a wide range of sports including indoor climbing, Judo, Wrestling, swimming, and football. The development includes a 36-metre main arena hall, a 25-metre swimming pool, and outdoor football pitches including both five-a-side and full-size facilities.
Given the diverse activities taking place within the arena, the architects, Samuel Stevenson & Son, prioritised a building design that would maximise natural daylight while maintaining comfortable indoor conditions for athletes, spectators, and facility staff.
One of the key architectural challenges involved providing glare-free daylight within the pool and sports hall areas. In environments such as swimming pools, uncontrolled sunlight can create reflections on the water surface that make it difficult for lifeguards to monitor swimmers effectively.
To address this challenge, Structura was appointed to install a specialised daylighting façade system using Kalwall translucent panels. Working under the main contractor O’Hare & McGovern Ltd., Structura delivered the installation of Kalwall translucent wall systems designed to provide controlled natural daylight, thermal insulation, and reduced solar heat gain.
The result is a modern sports facility that benefits from natural light, improved energy performance, and enhanced safety conditions for both athletes and lifeguards.
Details
Client:
Derry City Council
Location:
Limavady Road, Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Architect:
Samuel Stevenson & Sons
Main contractor:
O’Hare & McGovern Ltd
Grid:
Shoji
Project Metrics
The Foyle Arena project involved the development of a major regional sports facility designed to support both competitive and community activities. The project successfully delivered a modern sports facility that combines natural daylighting, strong thermal performance, and durable façade construction. Key project details include:
Project value: £12.7 million sports centre development
Arena hall size: 36 metres main arena hall
Swimming facility: 25-metre pool
Façade system: Kalwall translucent daylighting panels
The Challenge
Designing façade systems for sports facilities requires careful consideration of lighting, comfort, and performance. For the Foyle Arena project, the design team needed to balance several technical and operational requirements.
Glare-Free Lighting for the Pool Environment
Swimming pools require carefully controlled lighting conditions. Direct sunlight can reflect off the water surface, creating glare that makes it difficult for lifeguards to clearly see swimmers below the surface. Poor visibility increases safety risks and makes supervision more challenging. The architects therefore required a façade solution that would allow natural daylight into the pool area while eliminating harsh glare and reflections. This meant that traditional glazing systems were not suitable, as clear glazing can allow direct sunlight to enter the building and create uneven lighting conditions. Instead, the building required a daylighting system capable of diffusing sunlight evenly throughout the space.
Providing Consistent Daylight Across Large Indoor Spaces
The Foyle Arena includes large interior spaces such as the 36-metre main arena hall and swimming pool area. These types of spaces often rely heavily on artificial lighting due to their size and ceiling height. However, relying solely on artificial lighting increases energy consumption and can create less comfortable environments for athletes and visitors. The design team wanted to maximise the use of natural daylight to create a brighter and more welcoming interior while maintaining consistent lighting conditions across the entire facility. Achieving this required a façade system capable of distributing light evenly without creating bright hotspots or shadows.
Managing Thermal Performance & Solar Gain
Sports facilities must maintain stable indoor temperatures for both athlete performance and visitor comfort. Excessive solar gain can increase internal temperatures, placing additional demand on mechanical cooling systems. At the same time, large façade areas can create heat loss if the glazing systems do not provide adequate insulation. The building envelope therefore needed to achieve strong thermal performance while still allowing natural daylight into the space.
Delivering a Robust & Durable Façade System
Sports facilities experience heavy daily use and require durable construction materials capable of performing reliably over long periods. The façade system had to provide long-term structural reliability, resistance to weather exposure, low maintenance requirements, and consistent daylighting performance. This meant the daylighting solution needed to combine structural strength with advanced lighting and insulation performance.
Structura’s Solution
To meet the project’s daylighting and performance requirements, the design team selected Kalwall’s translucent panel system, a specialised façade material designed to deliver glare-free daylight while maintaining excellent thermal insulation. Structura was appointed to install the Kalwall translucent wall systems across the arena and pool areas. Working under the main contractor O’Hare & McGovern Ltd., Structura delivered the façade installation with careful coordination to ensure the panels performed correctly within the building envelope.
Kalwall Translucent Daylighting System
Kalwall panels are designed to diffuse incoming sunlight, allowing natural daylight to enter a building while eliminating direct glare. Unlike traditional glazing systems that allow clear sunlight penetration, Kalwall panels distribute light evenly throughout interior spaces. This provides several advantages in sports environments.
First, the system significantly reduces glare and surface reflections. This is particularly important for swimming pool environments where reflections can interfere with lifeguard visibility. Second, the panels create consistent daylighting conditions across large indoor spaces, eliminating harsh contrasts between bright and dark areas. Finally, the system offers excellent thermal performance, helping maintain stable indoor temperatures throughout the facility.
Installation of Translucent Wall Systems
Structura installed the Kalwall translucent wall systems to deliver controlled daylight into the sports hall and swimming pool areas. The panels were integrated into the building façade to maximise daylight penetration while maintaining the architectural design of the arena.
The installation required precise alignment and sealing to ensure the panels delivered their intended performance. Careful coordination with the construction team ensured that the translucent wall systems integrated seamlessly with the surrounding structure and building envelope.
Thermal & Energy Performance
Kalwall panels are known for their high insulation performance compared to conventional glazing systems. The translucent wall system installed at Foyle Arena provides high thermal insulation, reduced solar heat gain, and consistent daylight distribution.
This combination helps maintain comfortable indoor temperatures throughout the arena and reduces the need for artificial lighting during daylight hours. The result is a façade system that supports both energy efficiency and occupant comfort.
Project Results
The completed Foyle Arena development delivers a modern sports and community facility with improved daylighting, energy performance, and user comfort. Through the use of Kalwall translucent panel systems, the arena benefits from high-quality natural lighting without the drawbacks associated with traditional glazing systems.
Glare-Free Daylighting
One of the most important outcomes of the project is the successful delivery of glare-free natural daylight within the swimming pool and arena spaces. The translucent panels diffuse sunlight across the interior, eliminating direct glare and harsh reflections. This significantly improves visibility within the pool area and helps lifeguards monitor swimmers more effectively. The even daylighting conditions also create a comfortable environment for athletes and spectators.
Improved Thermal Performance
The façade system installed at Foyle Arena provides strong thermal insulation while limiting solar heat gain. This helps maintain stable indoor temperatures across the facility and reduces the energy demand placed on heating and cooling systems. By combining daylighting with thermal insulation, the building envelope contributes to improved energy performance across the sports complex.
Enhanced Sports Facility Experience
The integration of natural daylight creates a brighter and more welcoming environment throughout the arena. Athletes benefit from consistent lighting conditions during training and competitions, while visitors experience a visually appealing interior space. The arena now serves as a Centre of Excellence for indoor climbing, Judo, and Wrestling, supporting both elite training and community sports activities.
Conclusion
The Foyle Arena project demonstrates how specialist façade systems can enhance both the performance and usability of modern sports facilities. By installing Kalwall translucent panel systems, Structura helped deliver glare-free daylighting across the arena and swimming pool areas while maintaining strong insulation and energy performance. The result is a sports centre that provides comfortable, well-lit spaces for athletes, lifeguards, and visitors while supporting the long-term performance of the building envelope. Foyle Arena now stands as a key sporting destination in Northern Ireland, offering state-of-the-art facilities for both elite training and community participation.