What is Rainscreen?
Rainscreen is a façade designed to protect the fabric of a building, whilst giving it a decorative finish. The choice of materials used as a rainscreen are vast, all with different aesthetic and technical qualities. Popular rainscreen options include brick, stone, granite and light-weight materials such as Zinc, Aluminium, High Pressure Laminates (HPL), Aluminium Composites or Timber.Wall Constructions
Characteristics: Heavy traditional façade construction.
Benefits: Traditional look & Feel. Relatively maintenance-free & lasts many years.
Characteristics: Light-weight construction method. Back-ventilated rainscreen that can be shaped.
Benefits: Available in a wide-range of colours, including metallic. Can be routered, folded and shaped. “Origami in metal”. Can accommodate 200+mm of insulation.
Characteristics: Light-weight cladding that looks traditional. Natural and warm.
Benefits: Natural look & feel, but requires maintenance and treatment, otherwise can look stained or dirty after a few years.
Characteristics: Light-weight construction. Coloured, robust and 3D shaped. Back-ventilated rainscreen.
Benefits: Wide range of colours and effects, including wood and metallic. Can accommodate 200mm+ or insulation. Can look traditional or modern, giving a “clinical or homely” look & feel.
Why Rainscreen Works
Rainscreen provides a weather-resistant decorative finish to a building. Using a tried and trusted system of rails, air-gap, insulation and suspended panelling, Architects can control the inside environment of a building, whilst providing an aesthetic exterior finish.
All of our cladding systems are designed for ventilated cladding façades. Ventilated façades promote “Healthier Buildings”. This construction method allows for insulation (even 200mm+) to be placed on the exterior of a building thereby minimising thermal bridging. It also means that excessive heat & cold can be dissipated away through the ventilation gap between the panel and insulation materials which can reduce heating and cooling costs of a building.
The range of rails and cladding panels provided by Elemental, ensure that your building remains highly weather resistant and insulated. Our vast selection of panel types and finishes, mean that you can get just the bespoke look that was envisaged at the design stage.
All of our cladding panels and rail systems are suitable for both new and refurbishment applications. Many buildings can be given a facelift by installing an attractive light weight-façade over a tired façade.
Our cladding systems can be installed from “ground up” or “top down”.
Call Elemental on +353 (0)1 293 8951 to discuss your cladding requirements
Design Stage
At the design stage, we can work with you to outline the many options available for both aluminium rails systems as well as the cladding choices that can be fitted to them. We can detail the pros and cons of different rail, bracket and panel solutions as well as help you to narrow down the many options, based on aesthetic, technical and cost factors.
Cladding & Rail Procurement
Installation & Aftercare
Our service includes “Tool box talks” and visits from manufacturers to advise & supervise initial installation by the fixing crews. Panels can be delivered in numbered sections per façade or elevation, precut, drilled and routered to size to minimise site time & costs.
