Lumira Aerogel is a nanomaterial that is the best insultating solid on the planet. It provides a high insulating value and an excellent solar heat gain coeffecient.
Challenge
To supply sufficient diffused natural light to key sections of a 50,000-square-foot supermarket while significantly reducing energy cost.
Solution
From the start, architect Rick Ames of Boston-based Next Phase Studios envisioned the newly opened Augusta Hannaford store, the first LEED® Platinum supermarket in the U.S., as a daylit, low-energy building. A key strategy was the use of 54 4’×4’ Traditional Dome Units with Lumira® aerogel filled laylites for both general and task lighting and to achieve optimal daylighting conditions in critical areas of the store.
“You get plenty of diffused light with these skylights, and they give you an R-value approaching that of an exterior wall. That’s really an unbeatable combination,” Ames said.