As performance expectations are set continuously higher for rainscreen and rear ventilated façades, the substructures used to construct them can no longer be regarded simply as a means to fix cladding panels. Gary Robson, Business Development Manager at EJOT UK, explains why.
An often overlooked aspect of successful rainscreen or rear ventilated façade projects is the contribution that the support framing, fasteners and fixings make. What sits behind the façade is crucially important in projects where the aim is to elevate overall building performance, particularly in respect of thermal insulation, fire protection and reducing embodied carbon.
Commercially-driven objectives aligned to the design, construction and long term maintenance processes, such as buildability, installation efficiency, durability and long term sustainability, can also be met more effectively through good substructure design and specifying the right fasteners and fixings.
The key to realising these benefits is early consultation with a façade substructure specialist like EJOT. Consulting with our UK team at the design stage ensures optimum performance levels can be achieved in a rear ventilated façade project, whilst also ensuring full compliance with all the relevant building regulations and enabling efficiency to be maximised.
Product and system innovation driving higher standards
The shift from the substructure being a package of relatively basic construction components to a sustainable building enabler has been driven by the development of advanced products and systems that can deliver proven benefits. EJOT has been at the forefront here for many years, with a façade solutions range spanning everything from backing structure anchors and bracket fixings suitable for all building substrates, to fasteners and fixings for both the insulation and cavity barriers.
Only with the correct product selection can all the required design and performance objectives be met. These will include transferring loads safely from the cladding system back to the primary structure, reducing thermal bridging to improve energy performance of the system overall and complying with fire regulations. They must also be appropriate for the building substrates and façade materials.
Remember too that while each product’s performance credentials must be sufficient for the application and thoroughly evaluated before specification, the contribution each component makes as part of the complete assembled system is equally important.
Reducing operational and embodied carbon
As EJOT’s solutions are used to create highly insulated rear ventilated façades, they can play a key role in achieving a design that minimises a building’s operational carbon emissions through enabling lower heating and cooling demands. But that is only one dimension to the carbon reduction benefits associated with EJOT products – embodied carbon can also be assessed and minimised using their supporting EPDs and, in the case of many products, European Technical Assessments (ETAs).
One of the most important factors here is the high quality of the raw materials used in EJOT products and systems. Being manufactured from premium materials means they are built to last. Once installed they offer reliable durability and longevity that minimises the need for repair or replacement during the façade’s design life.
Choosing the EJOT CROSSFIX substructure system offers a holistic stand-alone solution with multiple performance benefits in respect of embodied carbon reduction, primarily due to the stainless steel composition of its brackets, rather than aluminium as is used on most systems.
Ease of recovery and recycling at the end of its service life supports circular economy objectives, but resources can also be saved due to the material’s higher strength and load bearing capacity. This could mean fewer brackets and anchoring points are required to support the façade, reducing material use in the project overall.
A system approach for streamlined façade delivery
As the construction sector adapts to more robust processes for demonstrating compliance and providing whole life traceability, fully tested, independently-certified systems like CROSSFIX are becoming an increasingly attractive solution.
Being an ETA and Passivhaus certified system, CROSSFIX is designed and manufactured to reduce thermal bridging while providing high structural strength and load capacity, as well as excellent fire performance. Supplied as a package including the anchors, rails, brackets and cladding fasteners, its award-winning Konsole bracket is designed to be used with both vertical and horizontal rails, optimising design and installation efficiency.
Consider the facade substructure early
Given the unique nature of façade projects, the design and specification of the substructure for one project, including the choice of fasteners and fixings, may not be appropriate for the next. The key to success is early consultation with product and system manufacturers including EJOT UK.
The EJOT team can help you get it right, whether you need a full design recommendation or advice on how to optimise the façade, with the potential to provide a complete suite of products from a single source for streamlined project delivery. And, because we are set up to support the complete building envelope supply chain, we can assist start to finish from the original concept through to practical on-site delivery.
Find out more at www.ejot.co.uk
