Kingspan New Global Innovation Centre

Kingspan New Global Innovation Centre IKON

The building world of tomorrow

Kingspan, the global leader in high-performance insulation and building technologies, recently opened the doors to its brand-new global innovation centre, IKON, at company headquarters in Kingscourt, Co. Cavan, Ireland.

Working with Dublin-based international design studio, MILLIMETRE DESIGN, the 20,976 square foot space, has been created not only to act as the test and development centre for the next generation of Kingspan products, solutions and services, but also to offer visitors a glimpse into the building world of tomorrow.
Innovative Design

The design concept for IKON combines technology, engineering, material science and imagination, with extensive use of shapes, dynamic lines, sharp contrasts which encourages meeting, interaction, discussion and collaboration in order to embrace the future of building.

The building has many bespoke finishes including the joinery, which blends in with the overall building design. The shapes and the materials used, transform the joinery into a sculptural feature.

Particular attention was paid to materials used throughout, while the white palette visually enhanced unexpected angles, affording a futuristic minimalist character to this building.

Every detail of the building has been carefully considered and challenges traditional architectural designs. The light tunnel, connecting the IKON building to Kingspan Headquarters, is devoid of right angles, instead using slopes and angles, lighting and AV to create a unique sensory experience, further encouraging abstract thinking.

Other features could have been taken straight from Star Trek: The Performance Wall, designed to explain Kingspan’s range of products, leverages augmented reality to educate visitors through the use of 3D holographic displays, while a raised observatory, entitled the Skywalk Platform, offers visitors a 180-degree view of the R&D floor.

“We wanted to create a space that reflected Kingspan’s commitment to quality, innovation and sustainability. We immersed ourselves in what technology could bring to the design and rather than the project being ‘design led’ we made it ‘technology led’. The end result is a space that is both highly functional, aesthetically pleasing and technologically advanced,” states Ronan Holohan, Managing Director at MILLIMETRE DESIGN.

Technological Design

Incorporating state of the art technologies, recently featured at leading technology exhibitions such as ISE (Integrated Systems Europe), AVR 360 and VR World, the IKON centre brings to life the concept of the smart office that promotes collaboration and innovation throughout the organisation.

On the top floor of the IKON building sits Future Space, where a 12-metre future screen blurs the boundary between floor, wall and ceiling. Delivering maximum visual impact, the video screen utilizes the most modern on the VR market currently. It allows visitors to have a VR experience, placing the user inside Kingspan BIM models and, at the same time, displaying their experience on screen for others to see.
The use of virtual reality also provides Kingspan the capability to house worldwide conferences at Kingscourt while providing live interaction with any of its facilities around the globe.
Mike Stenson, Head of Innovation at Kingspan, adds, “This building and its spectacular design represents our committed team and the innovative products and services that will be delivered from IKON.  MILLIMETRE DESIGN, reliable and highly qualified, clearly delighted in every aspect of this exciting and exceptional project. Together, we have delivered a stunning space in which we are extremely proud to showcase our products and our developments on an international stage.”

About MILLIMETRE DESIGN
MILLIMETRE DESIGN is a dynamic design house vying to create innovative interiors that compare with the very best in the industry worldwide.

They are Ireland’s largest interior architecture, interior design and branding studio, delivering bespoke design concepts for clients throughout Ireland, the UK, Europe and the USA, across the food, hospitality, office and retail sectors.

MILLIMETRE DESIGN employs a world-class team of professionals committed to excellence, client responsiveness and design flexibility. They are highly detail driven and collaborate as required, within large scale projects and with other industry professionals to ensure that projects are delivered within agreed budget and timescale.

From concept to delivery, the MILLIMETRE DESIGN team shape beautiful and functional environments, and create successful brands for their clients.

CGDM Construction Ireland Ltd

CGDM Construction Ireland Ltd is a multi-award-winning company specialising in commercial construction and fit-out projects. The company has offices in Dublin, Newry and London.

Over the last 11 years CGDM has evolved significantly, initially offering architectural and project management services, to now being a construction and fit-out business – which combines the skillsets of the senior management team.

CGDM construction Ireland Ltd was appointed as the main contractor for the construction and fit-out of Kingspan’s brand new Global Innovation Centre, IKON, located next to the Kingspan’s headquarter.

It was an honour for CGDM and MILLIMETRE DESIGN, to be part of the project team that delivered this truly innovative and spectacular building. MILLIMETRE DESIGN and CGDM fulfilled the brief by working collaboratively on every single aspect of IKON to ensure the project would reflect Kingspan’s vision.

A spokesperson for CGDM said:

“We take tremendous pride in our work and the portfolio of construction and fit-out projects that we have completed. We build relationships based on trust and integrity. We are committed to delivering the highest standards through our expertise and adding value. We pride ourselves on our technical capabilities to deliver complex projects and our management approach.

“We have achieved significant growth as a young company and thrive from working as a team to collaborative bring a design to reality for our clients.”