During the last two decades it seems that in the UK there has been


an extraordinary burst of creativity in architectural design with much imaginative use of large format claddings. Rainscreen designs have become common, as the requirements for retro fitting of insulation and urban revitalisation has lead to over-cladding of existing buildings as well as eye-catching new build projects. The contemporary post-modern building with subtle use of colour is now defined by the era of its construction rather than its geographic location; particularly currently as dark greys and blacks are in vogue across Europe. There are many alternatives in terms of material and colouration for


coloured cladding now available but a point worth bearing in mind prior to specification is whether the colour of the cladding carries through the entire board or, is it just an outer layer? As cladding is exposed to the elements and all its effects: sun, rain, wind etc if the cladding colour is not suitably durable it will quickly deteriorate. These abrasive elements can have the affect of ‘weathering’ on the surface colour to reveal the inner board. For coloured cladding it is especially important to prevent this as some pigments quickly fade under UV exposure and the exterior of the building can acquire a tatty appearance. However, a board that is pigmented throughout, responds in a positive


way to the demands placed upon it. The weather ageing process will be resisted and the board will age naturally without loss of colour or impact. For best results, it is wise to specify cladding early, as this helps plan


the construction process while also ensuring that the proposed design is in sympathy with the locality. Large format cladding can be more unwieldy to handle on-site than traditional format products such as brick, and special allowance needs to be made for this during construction. The structural considerations are many and varied and the cladding zone - from internal skin to decorative face - needs to be well designed and the correct framing system specified. Insulation, wind load and dead load calculations will need to be undertaken.


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