Description and Purpose of Cladding
– Cladding is the application of one material over another to provide a skin or layer.
– It is used in construction to provide thermal insulation, weather resistance, and improve the appearance of buildings.
– There is a cavity between the cladding and the wall where rain can run down.
– The main purpose of cladding is to improve the appearance of buildings while providing weather resistance.
– Rainscreen cladding is designed to protect against the elements and provide thermal insulation.
– Cladding can serve as a control element for noise, preventing it from entering or escaping the building.
– Window capping is a specialized form of cladding applied to windows.
– Single-skin metal panels are commonly used for low maintenance builds.
Cladding Design
– Cladding design involves selecting the appropriate materials and techniques for application.
– The design should consider the vulnerability to fire and noise control.
– Rainscreen cladding is a popular design that offers weather protection and thermal insulation.
– Single-skin metal panels are commonly used for industrial and commercial projects due to their durability and easy installation.
– Window capping is a specialized field of cladding applied to windows.
Cladding Materials
– Cladding can be made of various materials such as wood, metal, brick, vinyl, and composite materials.
– Composite materials can include aluminum, wood, cement blends, recycled polystyrene, or wheat/rice straw fibers.
– The materials used for cladding can affect its vulnerability to fire.
– Brick has excellent fire resistance, while timber weatherboards and plywood sheets have poor fire resistance.
– Composite cladding typically consists of panels with a core material sandwiched between two aluminum faces.
Vulnerability to Building Fires
– The design of cladding can contribute to the spread and intensification of fires.
– The cavity between the cladding and the wall can draw hot air up like a chimney, spreading the fire.
– The cladding material itself can also contribute to a fire.
– Different materials have varying levels of fire resistance, with brick and fiber cement having high resistance.
– The use of aluminum composite material (ACM) with a polyethylene core has been a concern after the Grenfell Tower fire.
Cladding Materials and Purposes
– Cladding can be made of wood, metal, brick, vinyl, and composite materials.
– Its purpose is to protect the building structure from water infiltration and control run-off.
– Rainscreen cladding is designed to protect against the elements and provide thermal insulation.
– Single-skin metal panels are commonly used for low maintenance builds.
– Window capping is a specialized form of cladding applied to windows. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cladding_(construction)
Cladding is the application of one material over another to provide a skin or layer. In construction, cladding is used to provide a degree of thermal insulation and weather resistance, and to improve the appearance of buildings. Cladding can be made of any of a wide range of materials including wood, metal, brick, vinyl, and composite materials that can include aluminium, wood, blends of cement and recycled polystyrene, wheat/rice straw fibres. Rainscreen cladding is a form of weather cladding designed to protect against the elements, but also offers thermal insulation. The cladding does not itself need to be waterproof, merely a control element: it may serve only to direct water or wind safely away in order to control run-off and prevent its infiltration into the building structure. Cladding may also be a control element for noise, either entering or escaping. Cladding can become a fire risk by design or material.
