Square Perforated Stainless Steel Panels at Kalyon Karapınar | Kasso

Kasso specializes in engineered metal façade systems, producing high-performance perforated and shaped aluminium solutions for architectural applications. Square perforated stainless-steel panels from Kasso were used in the central control building of the Kalyon Karapınar 50 MWp Solar Power Plant, located in Konya, Türkiye.

Designed by Bilgin Architects, the control building sits at the edge of one of Europe’s largest solar farms, where the desert-steppe landscape presents extreme environmental challenges: high solar radiation, significant UV exposure, intense heat, and dust-laden winds. As an infrastructure facility dedicated to managing large-scale renewable energy operations, the building required a façade system that could provide both environmental performance and a strong architectural identity. The design approach treats the control center not merely as a technical structure, but as an expressive marker within the vast photovoltaic field.

To meet the project’s solar-control and durability requirements, the architects adopted a double-skin façade strategy. The secondary skin, equipped with Kasso’s parametric perforated panels, is positioned within a ventilated cavity behind the exterior glazing. This configuration significantly reduces direct solar exposure on the glass, minimizing cooling loads while maintaining natural lighting. The landscape’s severe climate drove decisions around material reflectance, perforation density, and cavity airflow, ensuring performance in a UV-intense, high-heat, and dusty environment.

Kasso supplied approximately 7,200 stainless-steel panels arranged in a parametric layout featuring four distinct perforation densities. These variations control daylight penetration, moderate views, and fine-tune the transparency gradient across the façade. The high-reflectance stainless-steel surface mirrors both sky and solar-panel arrays, producing a dynamic shimmer during the day. At night, interior illumination transforms the building into a softly glowing volume. The perforated grid extends seamlessly over large automated doors, ensuring façade continuity while providing integrated access for staff and equipment.

Engineered for long-term resilience, the stainless-steel panels are corrosion-resistant, non-combustible, and individually replaceable—an essential feature in a remote, high-sun industrial environment. Fixings and mountings were selected to withstand abrasive dust, extreme temperatures, and continuous UV exposure. As a recyclable, low-maintenance material, stainless steel supports the project’s sustainability goals, reinforcing the building’s role as a critical component of a renewable-energy landscape. The façade ultimately serves as both an environmental filter and an architectural expression, linking infrastructure, climate, and technology.