Top 10: Benefits of rainscreen cladding
1st June 2017
1. Less maintenance
Rainscreen cladding is an excellent method of protecting the exterior wall of a building from the elements.
In fact, materials such as aluminium cladding will ensure your building and future owners benefit from very low maintenance, whilst the rear-ventilated cavity prevents moisture reaching the main building structure. This provides a number of performance related benefits by keeping the underlying elements continuously dry.
2. Reduced weight loadings
The use of lightweight facade materials like aluminium panels mean that the loadings on the underlying building structure are much less than masonry-based materials.
That means significant savings can be made on foundations and internal supporting walls, both of which tend to be made from high embodied energy materials.
Reducing the need for masonry elements also creates a lighter, brighter and more open interior.
3. Better accessibility to services
Modern rainscreen cladding systems allow individual panels to be removed, giving your maintenance team easy access to services.
When combined with davits and Building Maintenance Units (BMU), which allow safe access to the exterior façade, it means any upgrades or repairs to services can be done without disturbing the occupants.
4. Improve thermal performance
Rainscreen cladding is a low-cost method of improving the thermal performance of existing buildings, without losing any internal floor space.
This is known as over-cladding and involves fixing slab insulation to the exterior wall of the existing building - so no loss of internal space - and then covering it with a breathable membrane before 'over' cladding with a rainscreen system.
As well as making a step change in the building’s energy efficiency, it makes it look like new, too!
5. Improved aesthetics
Aside from better thermal performance, over cladding an existing building can greatly improve its appearance. In fact, it makes an old building look and perform like new. This is an excellent way of modernising older properties, or ensuring that new builds have contemporary appeal.
6. Gravity defying designs
Modern rainscreen cladding systems are lightweight and strong, making it relatively easy to create engaging, striking designs that appear to defy gravity.
Whether it’s an overhanging canopy, parabolic curve or gouged-out aperture in a façade, our lightweight and strong metal rainscreen cladding systems can help you deliver the vision.
7. Minimum disruption from over cladding
Over cladding makes sound environmental sense. Firstly, the improved thermal performance from extra insulation means less energy is required to heat the building.
Secondly, refurbishing a building in this way, rather than going down the route of demolition and new build, means that fewer materials are required and less energy is used during construction.
8. Ease of installation
Being lightweight makes rainscreen cladding systems relatively easy to install. Here at Eltherington we pre-assemble cladding systems in our factory to make sure they fit right, first time, on site.
9. Cost effective
Whatever your budget, we have a material or finish that will help you achieve your vision. Whether it's an aluminium rainscreen system or corten weathered steel, we have a solution to suit.
10. Sustainability
Rainscreen cladding meets the requirements for off-site construction, which means it is relatively fast to fit on site. That's because many of the items are pre-assembled in our factory, allowing large elements to be craned into position on site.
Being a dry construction technique also means that it isn’t affected by inclement weather that could stop wet trades.
Call our sales team to find out more about the benefits of Eltherington rainscreen facade systems: 01482 320 336
