Perforated metal cladding is already widely used in buildings where it acts as an additional external skin on top of glass cladding to provide added aesthetic or sunscreen qualities, but European perforation industry body, Europerf, believes that in some buildings, it should be considered as a replacement for glass.
Where a building‟s the external envelope does not need to be fully sealed‟, such as in train stations, bus stations, car parks and other similar structures, then the benefits of light weight, durability and ease of installation can make perforated metal cladding an ideal solution says Europerf.
In addition, perforated cladding with a large open‟ area design not only allows light to enter the building, but also provides natural ventilation while limiting the ingress of rain and gusting winds as it acts as a highly effective baffle, which reduces wind speeds and turbulence.
Olivier Janin, Secretary General of Europerf, explained: The purpose of perforated metal in architecture is to provide architects and specifiers with new solutions and ways of thinking about how a building can be designed.
He added: We have already been involved on several projects across Europe where perforated metal has been used as the primary external cladding, which provides a range of benefits over glass and other materials, such as reduced vandalism, ease of installation and the ability to use the perforations patterns to create additional design interest.
More information can be found on the Europerf website.