Carbon-neutral buildings
As the COP26 once again emphasized once again the importance of carbon neutral buildings, it is vital to embrace sustainable construction technologies in building enclosures as approximately 40% of energy leakage from building is traced back to its envelope.
To achieve Decarbonization of buildings (new and existing), the most popular solution is the Ventilated façade cladding as it offers numerous benefits. Rainscreen cladding system and its advantages.
Ventilated façade or Rainscreen cladding are non-load bearing structures, supported by cladding systems that transfer the self-weight and wind load to the building structure using a metallic frame and brackets, which penetrate the thermal insulation layer.
Does adopting ventilated cladding alone give us the benefits of this much-valued technology?
With numerous rainscreen cladding systems available in the market, it is important to define the deciding factors to look for while choosing the façade systems, if we were to achieve net-zero energy emissions by 2050.
The ongoing green-building revolution requires rapid construction cladding technologies offering High-performance and Affordability. Thus, the cladding system, which fulfills the performance criteria while being both affordable and rapidly installable, is the key factor for bringing forward the movement and achieving energy efficient buildings before the target deadline.
High-performance
Thermal efficiency: A crucial factor in increasing the thermal-performance and energy savings from cladding system is to control the thermal bridge occurring due to the brackets’ anchorage to the external wall and through dowel anchors punched to fix the insulation panels.
The façade system should permit continuous insulation (CI) and its adequate fixing, reducing possible thermal bridges in conflicting points, such as the slab edges.
Technical durability: The façade system must withstand different factors: self-weight, wind, hygrothermal stresses or earthquake. The system should be strong, flexible and guarantee stability, and resistance to external loads.
Universality: Single, adaptable and modular cladding systems, applicable to all types of cladding panels offer great advantage during planning and installation. Since, the project generally consists of more than one type of cladding panels, using a single system to realize all of them delivers better coordination during construction process of the envelope, material savings and added costs.
Rapid Installation
Quick and easy to assemble: The cladding system should be intuitive and easily understandable by the installers. Lightweight, modular and easy to assemble cladding technology can achieve unprecedented lead times.
Self-guiding installation: Self-guiding & Self-locking substructure components allowing faster installation; the installation should require lower number of operations in the construction site; able to preassemble part of or the whole system at the warehouse or worksite;
Easy patch fixing: Substituting the broken cladding panels during or after installation is a major problem related to the ventilated façade. The system should offer quick patch fixing to rectify the errors or accidental breakage.
Affordability
High Strength to Cost Ratio: The system components should be able to offer excellent strength to cost ratio; this could be achieved through innovative cross-sections of the vertical profiles, self-locking of envelope components through the ancient art of joinery and unique panel fixing technology;
Optimized design & details: Optimizing the design and details of the project through value engineering and effective optimization principle leads to great material cost savings;
Secure and Economical fixing technology: The cladding panels are attached to the metal frames using various fixing technologies, available in the market. The system should allow less handling operations of panels, lower number of fasteners and brackets to the main structure, and offer a secure and quick fixing technology;
How does BILDA contribute to Carbon-neutral buildings?
BILDA’s universal cladding system fulfills the crucial key factors of High-performance, Rapid Installation and Affordability through total innovation that could bring the expenses down by 60% together with various other important benefits:
- Savings in resources, time and labour cost;
- Highest Thermal efficiency on the market:
- 100% Reusability - of all cladded envelope components due to lower number of brackets, and fasteners; smaller number of holes to the insulation panels and therefore less damage;
Savings in resources, time and labour cost
20-30% more material savings: Optimized components, closed section sturdy profile leading to more efficient assemblies (lower number of brackets and anchors). Enhances low embodied carbon emissions;
10-12€ / SQ.M Savings in cladding panel machining: Precision slots milled by simple linear cutting offer 3 times lower cost than other types of panel socketing (undercut, side holes);
10-15€ / SQ.M Savings in cladding panels: Narrow slot (2-3 mm) spares the thickness of the cladding panels, compared to traditional holes (8-10 mm) thus allowing downsizing of the thickness;
40-50% Savings in labour cost: Self-aligning quick snap connections require a smaller number of operations at the construction site.
Highest Thermal Efficiency in the market
15% Higher Thermal efficiency: New thermal insulation fixing method also facilitating fire stop sectorization (supported by the cladding substructure) avoids excessive punching & damaging of insulation during Installation, and allows a tighter and more reliable fit.
100% Reusability - of all cladded envelope components;
100% Reusability: Self-locking joinery (smaller number of fasteners) ensures easy dismantling at the end of the life cycle. All components of the envelope remain almost intact & fully reusable.
