A curtain wall allows you to create a unique and attractive architecture of the building, as well as save up to 20% on heating and air conditioning costs.
A ventilated facade is a non-load-bearing building decoration system, the design of which provides a constant process of natural ventilation of the wall to create a comfortable microclimate in the premises.
Usually, a ventilated facade consists of three main elements: a metal substructure, insulation and facade cladding. If the wall of the building has sufficient reduced heat transfer resistance, for example, it is built of sandwich panels, then a ventilated facade can be used without insulation only as a decorative cladding.
The name “ventilated facade” means that its design has a ventilated air layer, which ensures air movement caused by the difference in atmospheric pressure between the base and the parapet of the building. Such ventilation removes moisture from the load-bearing wall and insulation, and also helps reduce their heating. It is these properties of the ventilated facade that are key to increasing the energy efficiency of the building. As the height of the building increases, the speed of air movement in the substructure increases, therefore, to ensure maximum durability and energy efficiency of the facade, it is necessary to use wind protection, and in some cases, also a vapor barrier.
Architectural appeal
Most modern buildings in the world are constructed using glazing and ventilated facades. Due to the wide choice of cladding options and the possibility of their combination, hinged facades make it possible to create unique real estate objects and increase the commercial attractiveness of buildings.
Valmiera Swimming Pool, Latvia
Riga Technical University, Latvia
TÜV Office, Hungary
ZK Asunto Kuopion Veturi, Finland
The facade can be perforated, which makes it possible to create images and logos on the cladding. By additionally installing a dynamic lighting system, such as Ruukki Emotion, the building will attract attention not only during the day, but also at night.
Perforated facade cassettes
ventilated facade with perforation and illumination
Facade cassettes with perforation and illumination
The main difference between different ventilated facades is the variety of types of facing materials, among which the most popular are:
Metal facade cassettes, slats, trapezoidal and designer profiles
Metal facade cassettes
Metal facade slats
Metal designer profiles
Aluminum composite panels (ACP)
Fine-grained concrete products
Scanroc or Marmoroc ventilated facade
Porcelain granite panels
Porcelain granite for facade
Laminated HPL panels
HPL Fundermax, Gentash
Natural materials: stone, wood, etc.
Galvanized steel with a polymer coating is mainly used for the manufacture of metal ventilated facades. When arranging premium facades, more expensive claddings made of Corten, copper, aluminum, titanium-zinc and stainless steel are used.
ViaJur Wine Store, Slovakia
Cor-Ten Steel Facade
Széchenyi National Library Archives, Hungary
Copper Facade with Perforation
Georges-Freche School of Hotel Management
Aluminum Facade
Kivenlahti Metro Station, Finland
Titanium-zinc Perforation Facade
Walt Disney Concert Hall, USA
Stainless Steel Facade
Energy Efficiency
An important advantage of ventilated facades is their ability to ensure high energy efficiency of buildings. Thanks to the mineral wool insulation, which is in a dry state, the ventilated facade allows you to reduce heating and air conditioning costs by up to 20% compared to other facade structures. For facade insulation, mineral wool with a density of 75 to 150 kg/m3 is usually used, which holds its shape well, is resistant to weathering and provides optimal thermal insulation.
energy efficiency and noise insulation of ventilated facades
Comfortable indoor climate
A ventilated facade is arranged with a vapor-permeable thermal insulation layer and is able to effectively remove excess moisture from the load-bearing wall structure that may form during the operation of the building. This prevents the appearance of mold in the wall structure and contributes to the creation of a comfortable indoor climate.
Durability
The service life of ventilated facades is determined primarily by the quality of the materials used and installation. Therefore, before buying a ventilated facade, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the declarations of conformity, certificates, warranty obligations and technical documentation, as well as check the characteristics of the facing material, substructure elements and fasteners.
Unlike plastered facades, which quickly fade under the influence of ultraviolet rays, the cladding of ventilated facades ensures color stability for decades. Metal cladding with PVDF coating additionally has a self-cleaning effect, when contaminants do not linger on the surface and are very easily washed off by rain, which reduces facade maintenance costs.
Sound insulation
Thanks to the multilayer structure of materials of different densities, ventilated facades provide the maximum level of noise insulation of buildings. High-frequency sound waves are reflected from the facade cladding, and low and medium frequencies are absorbed by mineral wool.
All-season quick installation
Due to the absence of wet processes and the complete factory readiness of structural elements, ventilated facades can be installed in dry weather at any time of the year. The installation technology does not require adjustment of elements, as well as elimination of unevenness of the load-bearing wall, which significantly reduces the time and cost of finishing.
The technology of arranging ventilated facades ensures quick covering of the insulation with cladding, which minimizes the possibility of its getting wet during installation.
installation of ventilated facades
Undemanding to the supporting structure
Unlike facades decorated with plaster, for which the wall of the building must be flat, cleaned and primed, ventilated ones can be mounted on an unprepared or uneven surface. To create a flat surface of the external cladding, brackets with adjustable extension are used, which make it possible to level even significant non-flatness of the supporting wall.
High maintainability
The advantage of ventilated facades is that most systems allow you to easily replace elements of individual sections of the cladding in case of their damage. In this case, it is important that the system supplier ensures maximum color matching of the new facade material to the existing cladding. In the event of replacing a part of the facade that has been exposed to ultraviolet light for a long time, it is necessary to select new elements taking into account possible fading.
Disadvantages of a ventilated facade
Price
A ventilated facade is more expensive than a structure with bonded thermal insulation (plaster finishing). At the same time, facade insulation using the bonded method has rather limited architectural possibilities, therefore it is rarely used for commercial real estate.
High qualification of installers
Installation of ventilated facades should be performed only by experienced specialists who are familiar with the configuration of the selected system, the technology of assembling elements and the features of fastening.
High requirements for the quality of materials
When arranging the substructure of a ventilated facade, it is recommended to use galvanized metal elements made of structural steel, stainless steel or aluminum systems with a guaranteed yield strength of the material. If the brackets and guide substructures are made of steel of a smaller thickness than the calculated one, or have a low degree of galvanization (less than 190 g/m2) or unprotected edged ends, then such a system will have low durability.
According to the requirements of DSTU V.2.6-35, only non-combustible materials can be used in the construction of a ventilated facade with single-layer thermal insulation. For facades with double-layer thermal insulation, the internal insulation can be made of materials of the flammability group G1 and G2. For buildings of I-IVa degrees of fire resistance, the use of foam insulation and/or vinyl PVC siding is prohibited. Therefore, the insulation of the ventilated facade is usually carried out with mineral wool.
The need for project development
Ventilated facades, unlike plastered ones, require the development of a project that includes the layout of facing elements, substructure and junction nodes, as well as a description of the installation technology.
Example of a facade project
Example of a ventilated facade project
The advantages of a ventilated facade significantly outweigh its minor disadvantages. At the same time, the disadvantages of a ventilated facade can be perceived as advantages, since high requirements for the quality of materials and the need for a professional approach to design and installation ultimately allow you to get a beautiful and durable facade.
Installation of a ventilated facade
To ensure durability, high energy efficiency and greater architectural expressiveness, it is recommended to order ventilated facades on a turnkey basis with a comprehensive guarantee. In this case, the supplier bears full responsibility for the design and can comprehensively conduct a geodetic survey, develop a facade project, supply a set of necessary facing materials and accessories, and perform installation work.
Installation of ventilated facades consists of the following stages:
Installation of the substructure on the load-bearing wall. It is important that the installation locations of all elements exactly correspond to the design positions, which will determine the flatness of the external cladding.
installation of a ventilated facade
Installation of insulation. Mineral wool sheets are tightly installed in the gaps between the guides or attached directly to the wall with plastic dowels. To eliminate thermal inhomogeneities of the structure, it is recommended to install the insulation in two layers with offset seams. To prevent the process of gradual weathering of mineral wool fibers, it is necessary to use a wind barrier film or basalt plates coated with fiberglass.
installation of a ventilated facade
Installation of cladding. Each facade system has its own characteristics of fastening facing materials to the substructure: hanging elements on guides with hooks, fastening with screws, fasteners, clamps, etc.
installation of a ventilated facadeinstallation of a ventilated facade
Where to buy a ventilated facade
Rauta offers high-quality ventilated facades with a wide selection of cladding. The company’s specialists will help you develop a facade project and purchase facade metal cassettes or another type of cladding depending on the customer’s needs. Ventilated facades from Rauta can be manufactured with perforation and an internal lighting system, which further expands their architectural and functional capabilities.
Video: production of perforated ventilated facades
