With more sophisticated facade solutions come even greater expectations. Paul Hughes from FunderMax explains how the market is continuing to innovate to meet clients’ increasingly esoteric demands.
In today’s construction market, competition is no longer simply about the best price. There has been a clear upsurge in the demand for more expressive and creative materials, as well as complete cladding solutions which save time and expedite builds.
It’s a growing trend we noted last year, particularly with respect to individual decor panels and the demand for bold designs and large format re-created photography. Now we’re seeing requests for more industrial, raw, textured finishes and surfaces which emulate concrete and stone. The market wants something different and over the past year, the UK’s facade producers have responded.
Look and feel
The yearning for something different has also extended to ‘the feel’ of facades too. Texture now carries equal importance; no longer is it solely about ‘the look’, and the industry is stepping up to the plate here and helping to enable impressive, ‘standout’ architectural design. Natural, unrefined panels inspired by the urban landscape are being elevated to another level with a powerful and diverse colour palette.
It’s an exciting time for the industry as facade manufacturers continue to raise the bar and develop more creative, striking cladding solutions.
More versatility and choice
Something else we’ve noticed is strong demand for ‘integrated’ cladding products, systems that expedite the entire build process. As a result the industry has responded with products which are essentially ‘two in one’ framing and cladding solutions. The introduction of such innovative new fixing systems makes installation effortless and speedy.
Modern, robust, easy to mount and available with wooden or aluminium substructures – there is now more versatility and choice than ever before. It’s a really exciting time, as there seems to be a concerted effort to innovate while keeping that cost effective edge.
The future trend for the housing sector specifically will continue to be led by prefabricated solutions with the industry continuing to push the boundaries.
Finding a balance
Creativity does not need to be at the expense of sustainability or cost effectiveness, which are considered equally vital. It’s merely that the focus has shifted, and things seem to be much more in balance.
For example, rainscreen is, on the whole, an attractive option from a pricing perspective, but now it’s also just as attractive visually. It is a versatile, sustainable and impactful solution, and there are seemingly less and less limits when it comes to the potential of today’s rainscreen cladding.
Paul Hughes is director of sales, UK at Fundermax