What's happening? The steel structure to which the cladding is attached does not take into account the natural deformation of the building. For this reason, over time, the facing slabs begin to overlap each other, the gaps between them increase, smudges and dark spots with a regular pattern appear on the facade. Such phenomena distort the original appearance of the facade conceived by the architect, and also violate its integrity.
In addition, the steel substructure is magnetic and dust settles on the surface of the cladding, quickly deteriorating the appearance of the building, and rust spots appear from metal dust. With prolonged operation, the steel frame begins to rust intensively and there is a danger of destruction of the entire structure.
Why? All elements made of galvanized steel begin to corrode from the moment they are manufactured, and after installation, the process only accelerates. The fact is that such a substructure is assembled from finished sheet blanks, subjected to cutting and other mechanical influences. During installation, all elements undergo technological processing: drilling holes for fasteners, cutting to the desired size, etc.
It is impossible to create ideal conditions at the construction site, therefore the protective coating of the elements is damaged. The attachment points are most susceptible to corrosion, since they are devoid of a protective coating, and these are the most important places in the substructure! When the corrosion process has begun, it makes no sense to apply additional paintwork.
And what is the result? Zinc and paint coatings give the steel substructure of the ventilated facade a presentation, but it disappears after installation. When the attachment points are destroyed, not only the cladding collapses, but also the structure of the ventilation facade - such cases are already known.
But it's cheap! So why are such structures used in construction? Primarily because of the price: the steel galvanized cladding fastening system is the cheapest. Until recently, aluminum systems were metal intensive and expensive.
There is a more profitable option! Today ALUTECH offers a lightweight, durable and technologically advanced system, comparable in cost to galvanizing, - ALT150. A kilogram has become almost three times cheaper than a kilogram of aluminum. But in the complex, the aluminum structure allows you to save money: if, for example, 5 kg of steel is consumed, then only 2 kg of aluminum is needed. Thus, an aluminum alloy substructure is an aesthetic and cost-effective option for cladding a building that has a real owner.
Specialist comment
We asked Dmitry Manko, head of the architectural and construction systems group of AluminTechno JLLC, about what customers and designers need to know and understand for the correct arrangement of the ventilation facade.
- First of all, the customer is interested in the facing material, its color, texture and format. Modern materials are durable, their service life is comparable to the service life of buildings. However, for the correct arrangement of the ventilation facade, along with the facing material, it is necessary to choose a ventilated facade system, namely a system, and not a set of fasteners from an unspecified supplier. Specially designed ventilated facade systems with thoughtful and proven fastening of a specific cladding will avoid problems during installation and subsequent operation. Particular attention should be paid to the service life of the substructure - it should be comparable to the service life of the building, i.e. over 50 years.
– What technical features need to be considered when working with ventilated facades: thermal insulation, air gap, cladding layer, brackets and anchors, load-bearing and fastening elements?
- All of the above cannot be considered separately. When designing and arranging, you should choose a system product that unites all these elements. Albums of technical solutions, design manuals, technological maps have been developed for ventilated facade systems.
The ventilation system is tested for corrosion resistance, durability, seismic resistance, as well as fire tests. By choosing a system product, you will be confident in the reliability of the design.
Modern buildings are a rigid, strong frame and light, warm, non-load-bearing wall fillings. When designing buildings with a ventilated façade, attention should be paid to the wall material. The principle of fastening a ventilated facade depends on its bearing capacity. The classical scheme of fastening along the entire plane of the walls should be used if the walls are made of durable materials - concrete, brick. And for light wall materials, you need to choose a fastening scheme in concrete floors (belts). Installation of such a structure can be carried out even if there are no walls.
