Over 600 sqm of Kalzip’s quick-fit FC rainscreen system panels have been used to help transform the façade of a 72 metre high, tired-looking 1970’s office block into an impressive new 224 roomed Holiday Inn Express in Snow Hill, Birmingham.
Falconer Chester Hall (Liverpool) was the architect and the low cost Kalzip FC rainscreen panels were recommended and installed by the experienced curtain wall and window contractor, Continental Installations Ltd.
Bevis North, Managing Director of Continental Installations says, “Working at height in a very tight, exposed city centre location, we needed a high quality, cost-effective over-cladding solution with neat joints that was quick and easy to install - and Kalzip‘s FC rainscreen system was ideal for the job.
"The 1.0 mm gauge, lightweight FC panels were specified polyester painted to RAL 7024 (Graphite Grey) and installed to the lateral areas of fascia above and below the main glazing. Kalzip also fabricated and supplied the specially matching head, cill and side flashings that achieve the desired aesthetic effect and integrate perfectly with the window detailing.”
Kalzip’s ingenious FC rainscreen system is ideal for both new build and refurbishment projects and is available in an extensive range of stylish colours and finishes. The robust panels can be configured either horizontally or vertically to suit the specific design requirements of each individual project. The lightweight panels are installed on aligned, vertically or horizontally fixed modular click rails - a key feature of the system is that each panel is simply hooked at the top or side and then quickly ‘clicked’ into place at the bottom, or on the opposite side, as appropriate.
This unique multi-directional installation capability (top down, bottom up, left to right and vice versa) is not only innovative, but also means that the Kalzip FC rainscreen system is extremely quick and easy to install. This feature can frequently have a really positive effect on the site programme by allowing for more flexible project scheduling - so when working around onsite obstacles such as scaffold connections, individual FC panels can be omitted and simply affixed once the scaffolding’s been removed. Similarly, in the event of damage occurring at some unforeseen stage in the future, the requisite FC panels can be easily removed and replaced without affecting adjacent components, thereby negating the potentially time-consuming and costly task of renewing large areas of the façade.
Being a non-penetrative rainscreen system, no rivets or screws are used to install the Kalzip FC panels and so no fixings are visible. Openly available to all cladding contractors and suitable for installation onto all common substructures from existing masonry to lightweight steel or timber framing, this high quality, rear-ventilated, metallic rainscreen system is equally suitable for internal applications. Supplied with edge folding as standard, panels are available in various cover widths ranging from 250mm - 500mm and in lengths of up to 8 metres.