| Everything from cladding manufacture through design to assembly is covered in this book. - Building Design
This updated edition covers the main types of cladding systems in detail and explains methods of production, performance characteristics, applications and methods of assembly, incorporating the latest environmental issues.
Since the first publication of Cladding of Buildings in 1983, there have been considerable developments in cladding systems and their use in architectural projects. In the main, there has been an increased interest in the use of suspended glazing. M.Stacey (1990) traced the development of suspended glazing from its early use at the Willis Faber Dumas building, Ipswich, by Foster Associates in 1973 through to East Croydon Railway Station (1992), where 12 mm thick glass spanned 3.4 m between fittings supported by cast outriggers. There are now (1996) many types of suspended glazing fittings throughout Europe in addition to Pilkington (Planar) and the RFR fitting from companies including Marcus Summers, MAG, Seele, Eckelt, Vegla, Octatube and SIV (see Chapter 6).
Some of the references included in the early chapters of this book may look a little dated to today’s architect. This is partly because of the lack of popularity of some of the materials such as glass-reinforced cement (GRC) and glass-reinforced polyester (GRP) and the consequent lack of development in this field. In contrast, composite metal cladding and suspended glass technology have expanded rapidly in the last decade, and the references in these chapters will seem much fresher to the reader. The reason for leaving in the old references is that continued access to this knowledge base, which is still relevant to the manufacture and use of the materials, may be of assistance both to manufacturers and designers involved in the development of these materials, and may encourage a re-emergence of interest in these types of cladding. |