CHALLENGE
This luxury hotel was built with a 90,000 sf. skylight over their common areas and restaurants. The heat and the glare from the sun through that skylight presented a multitude of problems, including excessive energy bills, the sun rendering parts of the public space unusable during the day, their inability to maintain the plants due to the heat and rapid fading of the fabrics and materials below the skylight. This challenge was made extra difficult by the fact that the skylight was located in such a manner that at certain points it was 60 feet off the floor and over atrium waterfalls and stairways – making access to the glass almost impossible.
ACTION
Kay + Sons worked directly with the manufacturer to design and develop an operable horizontal skylight shade that could span 18 feet without intermediate supports, while still maintaining tension on the shade fabric. In addition, we partnered with a local repelling company who worked in tandem with our crews to assist us with difficult access areas above the common space for safe access.
RESULT
The client received a flawless skylight shading system that not only solved every one of its original problems, but that also significantly enhanced the aesthetics of the interior space. The project lasted 8 months and remained on schedule and on budget.