Top 10: Benefits of Rainscreen Cladding

1. Improved Aesthetics

Over cladding an existing building facade 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.
Modern rainscreen cladding systems are lightweight and strong, making it relatively easy to create engaging, striking architectural designs that appear to defy gravity.
Whether it’s an standard flat design, geometric castellated or 3D dome effect, our lightweight and strong metal rainscreen cladding systems can help bring you building to life.

2. Fire Performance 

In the wake of changes to building regulation to ban combustible materials from use in the exterior walls of all high-rise residential buildings, as well as in hospitals, residential care premises and student accommodation over 18 meters
The whole industry is moving towards aluminium, which typically comprises a seamless 2, 3, or 4mm aluminium sheet, punched to size and formed with rolled edges to provide mechanical strength. The fabricated panel is purely aluminium that can be finished by either (anodising or pre paint A1 rating) or (powder coating A2 rating)
Solid aluminium, is an A1/A2 non-combustible material with a Class 0 (the highest standard) Spread of Flame rating, its inherent non-corrosive properties and lightness of weight means solid aluminium is one of the safest forms of rainscreen cladding available to the industry today.

3.Tested & Accredited Systems  

Eltherington is a member of The Centre for Window and Cladding Technology (CWCT). The CWCT is a leading provider of information to everyone involved in the design, specification or installation of building envelopes.
CWCT sets the industry standard in the UK for high specification architectural projects. Eltherington rainscreen cladding solutions have been independently tested and accredited to the specific requirements of CWCT

4. 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 and other metal 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.

5. Sustainability

• Lightweight construction compared to masonry walls, which also requires fewer foundation materials, resulting    in a building with a reduced carbon footprint
• Constant circulation of air keeps the exterior wall dry
• Thermal bridging through the wall is eliminated due to no interruptions caused by floor slabs
• Temperature fluctuations of the wall is minimised due to high levels of insulation within the structure
• Interstitial condensation is prevented as vapour pressure and wall temperature prevents this forming within the    ventilated cavity
• Reduces solar gain during hot summer months
• Whole life benefit - aluminium is 100% recyclable. It can also be recycled an infinite number of times without loss of performance

6. Reduced Weight Loading's

The use of lightweight facade materials like aluminium panels mean that the loading's 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

7. 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

8. 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!

9. 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.

10. 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