With a vision to make buildings across the US healthier, smarter, and more sustainable, Kingspan Light + Air North America improves its clients’ sustainability outlook through trusted and cutting-edge building envelope solutions. Marci Bonham, President – Americas, shares more.
CRAFTING NATURALLY ENHANCED ENVIRONMENTS
Kingspan Light + Air North America (KLA NA) was established in 2016 as a gateway to greater geographic expansion for Kingspan Group (Kingspan), diversifying its building envelope offerings beyond insulation and insulated panels.
Over the last nine years, KLA NA has developed a full portfolio of daylighting, ventilation, and smoke control products.
“Our mission remains focused on helping customers meet sustainability goals through transparency and innovation,” opens Marci Bonham, President – Americas.
Equipped with this steadfast objective, KLA NA provides third-party-verified environmental product declarations (EPDs) that allow architects and building owners to accurately measure their project’s embodied carbon and Scope 3 emissions.
This translates into the provision of state-of-the-art daylighting and natural ventilation systems that cut the reliance on artificial lighting and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units, ultimately reducing operational emissions.
The company continues to invest in digital tools to help customers model potential carbon impacts during design.
“Sustainability is not just an initiative – it’s at the core of how the business operates,” Bonham expresses.
ECO-FRIENDLY BUILDING ENVELOPE SOLUTIONS
The push towards net zero has dramatically changed the architecture, design, and façade sector in recent years.
“The building and construction industries account for about 39 percent of global carbon emissions, so there’s growing urgency to reduce both operational and embodied carbon,” Bonham informs us.
With this in mind, high performance façades, dynamic shading, and integrated daylighting have become essential for meeting new energy and climate goals.
On top of this, architects are now working more closely with manufacturers to incorporate passive strategies that improve occupant wellness and reduce energy demand, making the sector a fast-moving and highly rewarding space to work in.
A key operator in the architectural space which takes such industry evolutions seriously, KLA NA provides daylighting, translucent wall solutions, natural ventilation, and smoke vent systems for commercial, educational, industrial, and civic buildings across the US.
Headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, the company’s main offerings comprise UniQuad®, UniGrid®, and PentaClad® translucent wall systems; QuadSpan™ and KlearSky™ skylights; and tubular daylighting devices from Solatube, International Inc. (Solatube), alongside a full range of roof safety and smoke vent solutions.
KLA NA works closely with architects across every project, from the design phases to final completion. The company’s architectural solutions team provides daylight modeling, custom engineering, and specification support to ensure every solution aligns with the project’s overall vision, performance targets, and building codes.
“For example, we use simulation tools to assess how daylight will enter a space and recommend optimal configurations. We also assist with energy code compliance and product selection, offering a consultative approach from concept through installation,” Bonham outlines.
Aligning with its sustainability-driven strategy, KLA NA’s Planet Passionate program means the company is lowering its embodied carbon by increasing recycled content in the materials it regularly uses, such as aluminum and polycarbonate, and designing products for circularity purposes.
By increasing the availability of lower embodied carbon products and scaling the use of recycled materials across its product range, KLA NA reduces the upfront environmental impact of construction, supporting its customers’ sustainability goals.
“Sustainability is not just an initiative – it’s at the core of how the business operates”
Marci Bonham, President – Americas, Kingspan Light + Air North America
STRENGTH THROUGH ACQUISITION
Key to KLA NA’s success is its extensive stream of acquisitions which have been a key driver of both the company’s and Kingspan’s growth over the last decade.
By integrating companies such as CPI Daylighting, Major Industries, Inc., and Solatube in recent years, KLA NA has been able to efficiently expand its product range and technical experience.
“These partnerships have allowed us to serve more markets, develop new innovations, and become a one-stop resource for building envelope solutions.
“Each acquisition has also strengthened our customer network, project experience, and in-house expertise,” she reflects.
Kingspan also recently announced plans for a potential initial public offering (IPO) of ADVNSYS, the group’s advanced building systems segment, slated for Q1 2026.
KLA NA will subsequently be part of the division, contributing its full daylighting portfolio and integrated infrastructure offering.
“ADVNSYS is described by Kingspan as a world-leader in bespoke infrastructure for critical applications, primarily focusing on data centers, ventilation, and daylighting – including support services for other infrastructure such as water,” Bonham tells us.
With demand driven by artificial intelligence (AI)-related, data center-led infrastructure growth, ADVNSYS is poised for accelerated expansion.
More specifically, Kingspan plans to float 25 percent of ADVNSYS while retaining a 75 percent ownership stake following the IPO.
“We’re proud to be part of this next chapter and excited about the opportunities ahead to work as part of ADVNSYS, continuing to develop innovative solutions in this dynamic and fast-growing space.”
PLANET PASSIONATE
Aiming to have a long-term and far-reaching impact, KLA NA is proud to spearhead Planet Passionate – a 10-year global sustainability program with steadfast energy, circularity, and water usage targets.
“Through Kingspan’s Planet Passionate Communities initiative, we have supported more than 250 local projects worldwide, from tree planting and recycling drives to renewable energy installations for non-profit organizations,” Bonham prides.
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So far, KLA NA’s teams have volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, hosted e-waste events, led neighborhood and beach clean-ups, organized clothing donation drives, and supported school gardening programs.
“The company has hosted a number of events, including an electronics recycling drive in its Lake Forest, Terrell (Texas), and Wausau (Wisconsin) facilities – which have collected over 1,000 pounds (lbs) of material; a shoe drive that provided more than 60 pairs of footwear to local groups in need; and area clean-ups at our Santa Ana and Vista locations that brought out more than 70 participants,” she details.
Additionally, the Solatube team in Vista, California recently joined a Planet Passionate clean-up, removing trash from sidewalks and greenspaces.
“They collected 676 lbs of waste – an effort that reflects our mission to not only bring natural light and fresh air indoors but help keep outdoor spaces clean and healthy for future generations.”
Elsewhere, KLA NA is also proud to support diversity in the construction industry, demonstrated by campaigns centered around building equity, whereby the company supports local charities, youth programs, and disaster relief while maintaining strong ethical sourcing and labor standards.
Bonham has also mentored women in the engineering industry and served as a judge for the European Women in Construction and Engineering (WICE) Awards.
“Through Kingspan’s Planet Passionate Communities initiative, we have supported more than 250 local projects worldwide, from tree planting and recycling drives to renewable energy installations for non-profit organizations”
Marci Bonham, President – Americas, Kingspan Light + Air North America
DECARBONIZATION PROWESS
As part of its ongoing growth, KLA NA is working hard to decarbonize operations, with its three main manufacturing sites transitioning to renewable electricity to improve energy efficiency and reduce operational emissions.
For instance, the company’s Solatube facility in Vista produces, on average, approximately 1,323 megawatt-hours (MWh) of solar energy annually, while its Wausau and Lake Forest facilities generate around 171 MWh and 419 MWh respectively.
“These installations support our emissions reductions while helping meet operational energy demand with clean power,” Bonham highlights.
At the group level, Kingspan has reduced its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 61 percent in the last six years and has installed solar photovoltaic (PV) at 57 percent of its sites, aiming for 100 percent by 2030.
KLA NA, meanwhile, applies an internal carbon charge to accelerate decarbonization projects and continues to increase the use of recycled and low-embodied carbon materials.
“In our supply chain, we are working closely with key suppliers to improve embodied carbon data and emissions reporting. We’ve developed a data scorecard and offer access to training and tools to support supplier engagement and emissions reduction efforts,” she tells us.
Looking to the future, KLA NA is focused on expanding its product innovation, continuing to deliver value for its customers, and scaling sustainable practices.
This will be achieved by investing in lower-carbon materials, digital design tools, and renewable energy across its facilities.
The company likewise plans to grow its presence in sectors like education, life sciences, and technology manufacturing, helping clients meet their carbon goals through transparency and data tools such as EPDs.
“These are all part of our goal to make buildings healthier, smarter, and more sustainable,” Bonham concludes.
