Commercial headquarters and corporate facilities are evolving beyond traditional office spaces. They are now becoming multifunctional environments that combine workplace, innovation and customer engagement functions. This shift is driving greater emphasis on building envelopes that can deliver high thermal performance, strong architectural expression and faster construction timelines.

As the demand for high-performance, low-carbon building retrofits continues to accelerate across North America, organizations are looking to reduce operational costs, meet increasingly stringent sustainability targets and extend the life of existing assets. These strategies are gaining momentum, as they allow owners to significantly reduce embodied carbon while modernizing building performance without the environmental impact of full demolition and rebuild.

Kingspan Insulated Panels North America’s newly retrofitted and expanded 29,000-square-foot headquarters in DeLand, Florida, reflects these converging trends. Rather than constructing a new building, the project retained much of the existing structure and upgraded the envelope and interior spaces to create a modern, high-performance workplace. This approach reduced embodied carbon by 60% compared to a full demolition and new build, demonstrating the impact of retrofit-first strategies in lowering environmental impact.

Insulated metal panels (IMPs) played a significant role in the sustainable design of the project. IMPs are metal skins with insulation integrated into a single prefabricated system, combining air, water, vapor and thermal protection in one panel. They are known for their high thermal performance, streamlined installation, and ability to reduce long-term maintenance and operating costs by minimizing thermal bridging and eliminating multiple wall layers.

IMPs supported a more continuous and thermally efficient enclosure, contributing to reduced energy demand across the building as part of its all-electric design strategy. They also support the project's future goal of achieving LEED v4 BD+C Gold Certification and the International Living Future Institute Net Zero Carbon and Energy Certification.

Sustainability and operational efficiency were central to the design, with new workspaces supported by all-electric systems, integrated energy and sustainability features such as rainwater harvesting and planned solar photovoltaic panels. Circularity also played a major role in the project approach. Approximately 99% of construction waste was diverted from landfill through recycling, reuse and donation.

Kingspan’s own insulated metal wall and roof panels were used as the primary building enclosure, supporting performance while also enabling a cohesive architectural language across the facility.

“The façade incorporates multiple Kingspan panel series to showcase product diversity, a key priority for Kingspan North America’s headquarters,” said Carmen Evans, Associate Vice President and Design Studio Manager for Epsten Group, the project’s architect.

Kingspan’s QuadCore® KS Series, QuadCore® KarrierPanel, QuadCore B Designwall 2000 and K-Roc™ HF panels were strategically placed to respond to varying performance and design requirements across the façade. Rather than functioning as isolated applications, these panels were combined to create visual depth, texture and variation, allowing the building to respond differently to light throughout the day.

Transitions between horizontal and vertical panel orientations were used to define key intersections in the building. Vertical applications on the east and west façades were used to express internal zones, such as staircases and egress points, helping to break down the overall scale of the structure.

On the front façade, subtle tapered panels from Dri-Design, a Kingspan company, achieve a dynamic look, adding depth and interest. A silver finish was selected for its ability to deliver a timeless appearance while performing effectively under Florida’s intense sunlight and complementing the surrounding landscape.

“We needed to give each its own identity while still maintaining a cohesive overall design,” added Evans.

These material shifts also help distinguish the Kingspan headquarters from the adjacent Morin facility while maintaining architectural continuity across the building. Morin is a Kingspan company.

Beyond performance and aesthetics, Kingspan’s IMPs also contributed to the project's speed of build.

“IMPs enabled a double-layered perimeter skin, allowing the structure to be enclosed early and significantly accelerating construction,” continued Evans. “This approach made it possible to begin interior work before the exterior was complete, reducing the typical lag time required for heating, cooling and interior finish installation.”

The updated facility now functions as a workplace, customer experiential center and innovation hub designed to showcase building envelope performance in practice.