All advantages of a ventilated facade construction

Rockpanel exterior cladding fits perfectly into your ventilated facade construction. But what is a ventilated facade exactly? The concept of a ventilated facade was created in Norway. The technique of building exterior timber clad walls with openings on the top and bottom for water drainage was first used on storage barns. Scientific research later showed that a ventilated facade has a lot of advantages.

A ventilated facade is a facade construction with an air gap between the insulation and the facade cladding. This gap is open at the top and bottom. This creates a way for natural ventilation of the facade.

A ventilated facade can be viewed as a raincoat: it protects a building against the weather, while at the same time creating a healthy indoor climate. This is why the building technique of ventilated facades is often referred to as rainscreen cladding.

Scientific research shows that a ventilated facade has multiple benefits compared to other building techniques. When a brick or concrete wall is exposed to continuous rain, it can act as a sponge, due to the porous nature of the materials. Ventilated facades, however, allow for the water to be drained in the cavity and any other humidity to evaporate through the air gap. The facade may get wet in the cavity because of the open joints, but this moisture will evaporate quickly thanks to the ventilation flow within the air cavity.

Using a ventilate facade construction helps creating a healthy indoor climate. How does this work? A ventilated facade reduces the direct solar impact on the building and the walls do not heat up as much as other constructions during Summer, thanks to the constant air flow in the cavity which is constantly cooling the construction. With a well-designed and well-constructed facade, negative effects of condensation can be prevented, because water will dry out or leak out. Algae and moisture problems do not occur and mould cannot grow because the facade is ‘self-breathing’.