Kalwall with Nanogel: "The Light Stuff"

It looks a bit like a Japanese shoji screen; shoji literally means "everything and nothing," a definition that could also apply to this translucent panel. Kalwall is a sandwich of fiberglass-reinforced polyester with a filling of filled with Nanogel, Cabot's brand of " a hydrophobic aerogel consisting of approximately 95% air, in nano-sized pores that inhibit heat transfer through the aerogel material." It has a terrific insulation value of R20 (better than most codes require for a solid wall) wall while allowing 20% of the light through.

Kalwall has been making translucent walls and skylight systems since 1955 but the nanogel system is more attractive because of its higher R value. Says Bruce Keller, Kalwall's marketing vice president: "Nanogel is a giant step in technology for us. It's the magic insulation material."

As we move towards net zero energy building, perhaps we will see more of this. ::Kalwall via ::Materialicious