Press Information
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| Issued: February 2008 |
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The Modern Way
Rainscreen, cladding and curtain walling systems have considerably expanded the external finish possibilities of new buildings. However, these systems can be very costly, particularly those manufactured using increasingly popular natural materials, making them unsuitable for many projects. William Harwood of T.I. Dynamic Façades, explains how new technology is helping to bring down the cost of these systems, as well as improve durability, ease of installation and quality of finish.
The right façade or cladding system has the ability to completely transform both residential and non-residential buildings. High performance rainscreen and curtain walling solutions provide complete design versatility when it comes to external finishes and have enabled some of the most striking and unusual designs to become a reality. As such, architects and building designers have welcomed the development of these systems in recent years, in terms of finish, performance and design flexibility.
There are many different types of façade systems currently available, which offer a range of colours, textures, sizes and shapes. Product innovation, current trends and local environmental factors all have a strong influence on the popularity of these different systems, however, natural finishes, such as stone, terracotta and ceramics are always in demand.
These natural façade systems provide a very high quality look and feel for a building exterior, which is largely why they remain so popular, regardless of building design trends and application type. However, historically, systems manufactured using natural materials have been very costly, making them out of reach for many projects.
Natural Selection
The high cost of conventional natural façade systems is due to the expense of the raw material, the thickness of the system and the length of the installation process.
These conventional systems require each tile to be thick enough to withstand aggressive environmental conditions and offer the strength and durability to last many years. This means that the systems are expensive to manufacture and each panel is heavy, once produced, making them difficult to handle on-site and slow to install, which can impact significantly on construction and labour costs.
As natural façade systems have become more popular, innovators of these systems have looked at ways in which their cost can be reduced to make them accessible for more projects. The result has been the development of a new generation of rainscreen system that is lighter than conventional alternatives, yet much stronger and more durable, and, importantly, far quicker and easier to install.
A New Generation
These innovative rainscreen systems are much thinner than conventional systems and reinforced, either during the firing process, in the case of terracotta and ceramics, or with high strength fibre, aluminium or aluminium honeycomb, in the case of stone.
Modern terracotta systems offer precision calculated carrier systems in a range of grid formats to allow complete design versatility and fast installation. When it comes to colour, market leading systems are dye penetrated and can be manufactured in around 50 different shades, which, combined with high performance graffiti protection, means they retain the ‘new-tile’ look even after many years. These systems are also available in a number of different surface textures to bring another element of design to a building exterior.
When it comes to stone finishes, the latest rainscreen systems incorporate stone facings that are manufactured 6mm to 15mm thick and bonded to one of a range of backing systems, depending on the specification requirements of a project. Sandstone, limestone, granite, basalt and marble can all be manufactured in this way to achieve a durable, high performance finish, without the need for a stonemason.
In addition to these more traditional, natural façade materials, innovative crystallised glass systems have now also been developed, which are already proving as popular as natural products. These high performance systems are available in high gloss or honed finishes to create a silk or matte look, which is extremely durable and impervious to staining. These systems are very versatile and, in addition to various panel sizes, they can be shaped and curved to clad pillars and create rounded corners.
Fast, Accurate Installation
This new generation of façade and cladding systems not only looks and performs better than conventional systems, it also makes the installation process much more efficient. The innovative design and lighter weight of these solutions makes them much quicker to install on-site and there are also fewer components to install, all of which have been designed to minimise construction times.
It is this kind of inventive design that enables these high performance rainscreen solutions to outperform their predecessors when it comes to strength, durability and finish, as well as installation. As a result, they are already proving very popular with architects and building designers, as well as housebuilders and developers across the UK, a trend that is set to continue.
