Mon 10 Mar 2008
Dressed for success
The choice of facade selected will set the scene for the rest of a building's design. However, says Roger Hunt, it must meet certain sustainable criteria to boot.
"Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in the eco-credentials of their homes and the use of sustainable, highly insulated building materials in residential properties is set to increase," believes Jonathan Kingerlee, chairman of Kingerlee Homes. "Traditional brick walls are aesthetically pleasing and perform well in providing a weather resistant and durable outer skin, but they contribute next to nothing in terms of insulation."
"Kingerlee Homes already uses single skin cellular fired clay blocks, which are an excellent option environmentally and for cutting construction and energy costs. Such blocks are highly insulating and assist our designs to prevent air leakage and thereby create an airtight shell. These non toxic blocks can embody 30 per cent less CO2 than comparable cavity walls and have a BRE green rating of 'A'.
"Although cladding tends to be more common on commercial buildings, architecturally unique and more expensive homes are starting to lead the way in the residential market by adopting cladding which can be externally finished with any type of material, including timber boards, shingles or tiles," says Kingerlee.
Ian Barclay, marketing manager for Marley Eternit's range of decorative rainscreen cladding, explains that cladding aligns well with modern methods of construction and offers both contemporary and flexible design options as well as versatility.
"Major housebuilders have reacted to the increase in timber frame construction and the removal of wet trades by using decorative rainscreen cladding in place of bricks and wet render systems. The cladding can be used to pick up material themes or create subtle interplays of colour and shape and, being a dry trade, can be installed at any time. Its low-maintenance performance and lasting cladding aesthetics are also important."
Marley Eternit has launched a new Natura range of fibre cement decorative cladding panels. Instead of featuring the same colour throughout, they comprises nine colours that are available as a varnish on a lightweight dark grey core and a further five varnish colours on a natural, light grey core. The range is claimed to be low-maintenance and resistant to fire, weather, insects, mould growth and fungi.
Finnforest has launched Finncolor, a new pre-painted exterior timber cladding system. Designed to be a simple, ready to install solution, it is claimed to offer a hardwearing and durable facade while combining the appearance of natural wood with the attractiveness of a range of six colours that reflect the current trend for New England styling and coastal designs. The cladding uses a secret-fix profile, and can be installed in any format to create a directional aesthetic on the wall of the building; vertically, horizontally or diagonally. With the current trend for timber cladding, there is a danger of compromising environmental credentials, believes Mike Fleming, group sales director at engineered timber specialist Palgrave Brown. "Western red cedar cladding, for example, is not only expensive, due to the recent spike in timber prices, but it also fails to qualify for Code for Sustainable Homes credits because of the distance travelled by imported Canadian cedar."
Palgrave Brown is making it easier for housebuilders to gain Code for Sustainable Homes credits with the introduction of PlatoWood, a 'thermo-modified' timber cladding range which is 'A' rated in BRE's Green Guide to Housing Specification and claims to combine durability, stability and aesthetics.
Tony Crutcher, sales and marketing director of Latium Building Products, the controlling business of the Celuform brand, asserts that the popular perception among housebuilders and specifiers is that timber is a more sustainable material than PVC-UE.
"The differences become apparent when you note that PVC-UE is a finished product with no surface coatings needed for protection from the elements. And PVC-UE can be recycled up to eight times, giving a target material lifecycle in excess of 240 years. Timber will require a preparatory treatment of preservatives stains and paints to bring the long term performance up to that of PVC-UE. These treatments will be required again on a regular repeat cycle."
In response to growing demand for high quality authentic looking wood effect cladding, Celuform has launched Celutex cladding. With a new PVC-UE embossed wood grain finish, Celutex is claimed to be almost indistinguishable from timber but, unlike wood, is completely unaffected by damp, rot, decay, frost or insect attack.
Nick Jenkins, operations and technical manager at Euroclad, reports that the company is seeing an increased adoption of industrial rainscreen systems for use in residential developments, particularly inner-city renovation projects. "One way in which an old building can be quickly and easily modernised is by using facade systems. These are high tech and economical and can dramatically transform a building, particularly tall buildings and higher residential properties."Euroclad's Linear 1 system uses a supportive frame to hang panels on, making the whole installation process quick and straightforward. Each panel can be independently removed and replaced without disrupting the rest of the facade. Therefore, if a panel is damaged during the build, or even years after, it can be easily replaced. Manufactured using the latest CAD software, Euroclad is able to produce almost anything which can be drawn and the systems are available in a range of metals, colours and composite finishes.
Cladding blocks, which can be used as part of a rainscreen cladding system, are manufactured by Haddonstone to add aesthetic appeal while protecting a building from the elements. Its cast limestone material is available as either a dry-cast product, with a surface texture similar to Portland stone, or a wet-cast product, to create a denser material with a smoother finish.
At Bovis Homes Keith Pye, group planning director, explains that, like many other housebuilders, the company is reviewing the use and effectiveness of panelised cladding systems to help it meet the more demanding levels required from the Code for Sustainable Homes.
"Bovis Homes uses traditional construction methods with brick still being the dominant external material and it remains strongly favoured by our customers as it requires little or no maintenance," says Pye. "Our greater emphasis now is using quality stock bricks which aesthetically add appeal to developments and are more cost-effective than other forms of cladding."
Graham Boyd, sales director for Hanson Building Products, points to the move away from detached houses into flats over the last five years. "For flats and apartments, the trend tends to be for machine made bricks as they help to achieve the crisp, architectural lines which are common on these buildings.
"Going forward, it is anticipated that there will be a move back towards semi-detached and terraced properties due to pent up demand for these dwelling types. Experience has shown that the builders prefer to use more of a softer, 'stock type' brick in these types of houses."
Hanson's latest 'green' addition to its masonry range is the Oast House Red Multi, a vibrant, red-body brick with brown flashing and a small percentage of black sand accents to bring variation to its face. A significant element of the new brick's embodied efficiency is in its 41 per cent recycled content comprising reclaimed colliery shale, thus reducing 'waste' that might otherwise have gone into landfill.
For Mark Morris, sales and marketing director for Wienerberger, brick remains the most cost effective means of construction. "If you look at brick as a percentage of overall build cost, it accounts for no more than one per cent."
Wienerberger's recent acquisition of Baggeridge Brick means that it offers a wide range of Terca facing bricks as well as Corium cladding and, with 14 manufacturing sites around the UK, the bricks never have to travel far to reach a development.
Similarly at Ibstock, as part of the company's ongoing sustainability strategy, an average brick will travel only 80 miles to its point of use. Made from Lancashire clay at its Ravenhead Factory, Ibstock's three new bricks from its Bramhall range offer a choice of subtle red shades which are ideal for builders from Stoke to Cumberland and beyond.
When it comes to gaining points towards the Code for Sustainable Homes, Ian Exall, head of marketing H+H UK, is of the opinion that aircrete solutions have a lot to offer. "Many of the points are associated with energy and CO2 emissions. Aircrete contributes by reducing the heat loss via the fabric envelop of the house, having the lowest thermal conductivity of loadbearing material."
In terms of embodied energy, H+H's Celcon products claim to score well. Up to 75 per cent of the raw material used in their manufacture is pulverised fuel ash, a by-product of coal-fired power stations which would otherwise be sent to landfill. In addition, 99 per cent of the raw materials used by H+H UK are sourced from the UK, so reducing the environmental impact of importing materials.
First published in Show House Magazine March 2008.
The greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy but some information contained within this article may have changed since it was first published.
Posted by Roger Hunt
in Celuform, Euroclad, Finnforest, H+H, Haddonstone, Hanson, Ibstock, Marley Eternit, Palgrave Brown, Product Portfolio, Wienerberger on Mon 10 Mar 2008
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