Britain's best source of building product and construction news

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 Facades, 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.

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.

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.

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 Facades, 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.

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.

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.

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 Facades, 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.

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.

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.