insulated metal panels

Barrier Walls vs. Rainscreen Exteriors
Design Innovation
Barrier Walls vs. Rainscreen Exteriors
June 4, 2021 at 2:32 pm 0

When selecting cladding for your building, there are a few important considerations when choosing barrier walls versus rainscreen cladding. Learn more about each system and the factors you should consider.  

What are Barrier Walls? 

Barrier walls are the outermost layer of the building envelope, preventing water and air penetration with a single plane. Insulated metal panels offer a single component barrier wall system which creates an effective building envelope, serving as an air, water and thermal barrier The IMP’s interior layer employs field installed seals to prevent water and air migration beyond the IMP. Barrier walls can be a dry seal or a fully wet sealed system and do not require a backup air or water barrier. 

With barrier walls, a single component system, you have the benefit of single source responsibility with one manufacturer and one installer.  

What is Rainscreen Cladding? 

The rainscreen is the outer shell of your building’s facade. Rainscreen cladding relies on back up walls for air and water performance. They are available in many different materials and provide a variety of options for external appearance. 

Rainscreen cladding systems consist of several components and therefore require several labor trades for installation.  

Barrier Wall System vs. Rainscreen System  

There are a variety of items to consider when choosing between a barrier wall system versus a rainscreen system. Some of these items can include, labor, structural capabilities, panel size availability and accessories. Each system has its own niche. Learn more about which will work best for your application.  

What kind of performance is the architect looking for? 

Both barrier wall systems and rainscreen systems can be engineered for desired performance to serve as an effective air, water and thermal barrier. While barrier walls offer the desired performance with one single component system, rainscreen systems require multiple components.  

What is the budget? 

The cost of both systems will vary based on a variety of factors including project location for labor costs, square footage of material and material chosen for the rainscreen panel.  

What aesthetic is the architect trying to achieve? 

The desired aesthetic is an important factor to consider when choosing between a rainscreen system or a barrier wall system.  

Rainscreen systems offer more aesthetic options including texture and geometry. They also offer flexibility with material options such as copper, aluminum, stainless steel and zinc. Rainscreen systems can add a touch of modernity to any building project.  

Barrier wall systems also offer aesthetic options such as a variety of colors, finishes and textures. Barrier wall also offer various substrates to complete the exterior of your building.  

What components need to be integrated? 

When designing the building envelope system, it is common to add components such as windows and louvres that are designed to be fully integrated with the wall panel. The ease of integration depends greatly on which system you choose.  

With barrier walls, a single component system, fully integrated component options may be available from the panel manufacturer. They offer a significant improvement in the total wall performance by providing a continuous, uninterrupted seal between the panel, window and or louver, providing a better overall wall performanceBarrier wall systems may also offer better product span capabilities, contributing to reduced labor and material costs.  

With rainscreen systems, it can be more challenging to incorporate accessories such as windows and louvers due to the multiple components required to create the wall assembly and coordination needed to provide a continuous air and water barrier. 

 

Contact our highly experienced staff to learn which solution is best for your business.  

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CENTRIA® Concept Series Panels Create Distinct Urban Aura at the Archer Hotel, Napa
Design Innovation
CENTRIA® Concept Series Panels Create Distinct Urban Aura at the Archer Hotel, Napa
December 5, 2019 at 8:00 am 0

The Archer Hotel is a boutique establishment located in Napa, CA. Situated at a bustling and lively downtown intersection, the hotel covers 136,000 square feet with 183 guest rooms. It features a 15,000 square-foot deck with an outdoor bar and dining options, a spa, and private outdoor patios.

“The Archer Hotel embodies the essence of Napa – its vineyards,” says Roger Brown, Senior Vice President and Director of Design, LK Architecture, the firm responsible for the design. “The strong vertical and horizontal lines represent the posts supporting the vines and the breaks and furrows of the vineyards. This rhythm, repetition and geometry relates back to the place itself.”

The clean lines and contemporary look of CENTRIA Concept Series panels bring a sense of urban modernity to the building’s main tower, achieving the goal of blending the old world with the new.

Approximately 16,000 square feet of Concept Series in Silversmith with a smooth finish and Sundance Mica coating were used, enabling the building to stand out as a destination in the popular tourist area.

“CENTRIA panels cover the building’s corner tower and were selected to give it a distinctly urban feel,” says Brown. “We used different tones of grey to add variation and a subtle shimmer.”

Concept Series single-skin rainscreen panels feature concealed fasteners and a common-lock joint that allows the panels to be integrated with each other. The panels are primed for easy installation, with stand-off clips that provide a ventilation cavity and drain plane behind the panel. These panel clips also allow for thermal and seismic movements.

“The panels are a quality product and are easy to work with,” says Brown. “We also appreciated the fact that CENTRIA was able to achieve the shades of grey we desired.”

The Archer Hotel was completed in August 2017. LK Architecture provided design services, the general contractor was SD Deacon, and the CENTRIA dealer was Blackwood Associates. The panels were installed by TriCore Panels, Inc.

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CENTRIA® Formawall® Completes Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research
Design Innovation
CENTRIA® Formawall® Completes Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research
October 3, 2019 at 8:00 am 0

One Research Drive is home to the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (ICAR). CENTRIA®, the world’s leading provider of high-performance building envelopes, contributed more than 13,000 square feet of Formawall™ to the building façade, which visually echoes nearby campus buildings also clad in Formawall.

“We aimed to have the material connection across all facades, – the ICAR and the Center for Emerging Technologies – in addition to the same durability and speed of installation we enjoyed with the Emerging Technologies project,” says Chris Stone, Associate Principal, LS3P, the firm responsible for the building design.

The 85,000 square-foot structure aesthetically unites other nearby Clemson structures with the same clean lines and modern aesthetic. The design team with LS3P associates leveraged the sleek exterior and consistency afforded by working with Formawall.

“We utilized the CENTRIA panels in a continuous ribbon across the building, which enabled it to have a uniform, distinct façade: Its 4 sides all have prominent frontage and CENTRIA panels formed the primary skin that wrapped around the entire building,” says Stone.

Formawall is CENTRIA’s flagship line of insulated metal panels, combining unprecedented design freedom with unmatched performance. The product’s five distinct profiles deliver unlimited design combinations and create the world’s most imaginative building envelopes with varying articulations, rhythms, and textures.

Not only did Formawall provide the optimal building façade for Clemson’s needs, but the design team also opted to use the product for its accelerated and seamless installation capabilities.

“We have been working with CENTRIA products for quite some time and find that their speed of installation, longevity, and durability are all factors that make them ideal for our needs,” says Stone. “At the International Center for Automotive Research, the CENTRIA product was installed quickly enough to get the core and shell enclosed on-schedule.”

Other members of the design and construction team included general contractor, Sherman Construction, and CENTRIA dealer, Steel Clad, Inc.

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