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Industrial Cladding – Trends & Challenges

By: A.P. DellaPenna, TSSC Group, Harwal Group

Industrial cladding is one of the most important elements in ensuring the outside of an industrial building is protected from the elements of nature and potential sources of damage, therefore extending the property’s longevity and lifespan. It is also utilized to strengthen a structure and provide thermal insulation to the industrial buildings. Cladding takes different shapes depending on the requirements and can be used both in roofs and walls of different structures.

TSSC, a key member of the Harwal group and the leading manufacturer of advanced building systems in the MENA region specialises in the manufacture of roof and wall cladding for architectural façades, cold stores and commercial and industrial roofing projects. Façades and building envelopes – which form the outer skins of buildings, are important environmental moderators and key influencers in project risk and commercial success.

Diverse Range of Cladding Solutions for Industrial Buildings Includes:

* Corrugated insulated wall panels – six different profiles

* Insulated regular and concealed ISO wall panels – six different profiles

* Single skin profiled cladding – seven different profiles.

* Camlock and slip joint panels for cold stores

* Corrugated insulated roof wall panels

* Rockwool roof & wall panels

* Concealed corrugated PIR & rockwool roof panels

* Standing seam roofing – three different profiles

* Polycarbonate daylight systems

* GRP roof lights & roof curbs

* Structural decking – five different profiles

Roof & Wall Cladding Panels at Alba Potline 6 Expansion in Bahrain

Industrial cladding is applicable for external roof and wall panels, cold stores, internal linings, fascias and barge doors, decorative finishes for buildings, partitions for commercial & industrial purpose buildings and weatherproof layer for the roof.

Roof & Wall Cladding Characterized as Modular and Insulated can play a Significant Role towards Achieving a Sustainable Building:

• PIR insulation technology has a lambda value of 0.018W/m.K and a U value of 0.18W/m2K depending upon the insulation thickness.

• Fire rated panel systems with non-combustible core provides up to 3 hours of fire rating. The FM approved cladding panels are self extinguishing, and exhibit limited flame spread in case of fire thereby protecting the building envelope.

• Insulated panels for industrial cladding are exceedingly efficient, lightweight and cost effective heat insulators. They act as barriers and improve the building performance by lowering lifetime costs and reduced weather impact.

• Concealed-fastener insulated metal wall panels can be used in the disassembly and reassembly of commercial/industrial projects such as airport hangers, temporary warehouses, accommodations, etc.

Buildings can have streamlined architectural appearance with vertical and horizontal installation of different profiles and finishes.

Testing & Certifications Different For Industrial Cladding

Insulated panels used in industrial buildings comply with various local and international safety codes for internal partitions and external envelopes (roof and wall) construction. International certifications ranging from FM approval to FMRC 4880, 4881 Class 1 fire classifications for unlimited height. The roof panels are also FM 4471 certified and passed Stringent test conducted by FM US Center.

Local body certifications include DCL certification proving panels have been manufactured to the highest standards and we are the winner of the 2017 DCL award – “Best factory performance for thermal insulation”. The panels are approved by Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah & Umm Al Quwain Civil Defence Authorities. The thermal insulation used for cladding panels also comply to Al Safat Dubai Green Building regulations and is CFC HCFC free with zero ODP and low GWP.

The Limitations Faced By The UAE Fire & Safety Code

The new UAE Fire & Safety Code is a highly positive move and such policies are important aimed at improving the overall building and construction sector. It will further accelerate the pace of innovation which results in better products and promote value engineering which contributes to saving resources. This also reduces the contingency of nonperforming manufacturers and improves life & safety. Substandard products should not have a place in this region as it will only ruin the reputation of contractors and builders and thereby negatively impact the country’s goal towards sustainable development.

Certification and quality systems play a huge role for the sector and we adhere to the highest international standards throughout the manufacturing processes. We have always supported the UAE government’s proactive role in maintaining world-class standards and best practices. As a leader in construction innovation, we ensure to bring in certified products and our panels are FM approved. These are tested for flame spread and smoke development as per the highest fire safety standards complying with various local and international safety codes.

Future Trends For Industrial Cladding In The Middle East

Flat Wall Panels for National Food Products Company

Construction of industrial buildings has changed over the years. As new technologies and materials emerge companies will have to adapt to different trends that will profoundly affect the regional construction industry.

Sustainability: The external surface of the building is an integrated part of the building skin itself. Incorporating sustainability initiatives into warehouses and industrial buildings design is a win-win proposition. It mitigates harmful effects to the environment, encourages worker safety and comfort. But from a business perspective, it also lowers operating costs, ultimately improving a company’s financial performance.

Technology Driven Design: The drive for smart buildings is changing how industrial cladding is designed. With boom in the popular use of smart systems, technology is transforming the way that buildings are designed, constructed, and operated and it is helping to improve decision making However, due to huge costs associated with R&D, few ideas become a reality.

Fire-Resistance: In line with the vision of the (Dubai Land Department) DLD‘s vision of making Dubai the world’s safest and securest residential and investment destination, building façades that do not comply with fire resistance safety requirements should be changed to improve fire-resistance in the emirate.

Design: One of the trends is to get creative with colour and offers cladding in different finishes. Flat Wall panels are a system which is an alternative to traditional corrugated panels in which all fixings are hidden so there is a clean and attractive finish. This is in addition to roof cladding which comprises of a flat sheet that are mechanically seamed over clips to secure the roof.

With years of manufacturing expertise in building and construction products we deliver optimal performance and innovation in façades. Our integrated façade knowledge, which incorporates structural engineering and advanced modelling techniques, equips us to realise several architectural visions. Being the largest manufacturer of sandwich panels and steel cladding in the Middle East, we are keen on expanding our reach to add significant value to customers and able to successfully offer a wide range of products. These include sandwich panels, cladding, cold stores, façades, windows, doors, among many others.

We offer several building materials under a complete building systems package to provide contractors and builders with turnkey solutions. We have included few critical components to our product range, which include steel structures in cold rolled steel, pre-engineered steel and light weight concrete wall panels and we also offer the design engineering required to deliver a complete building system to our customers. Therefore, we had tremendous success in 2018 – from supplying individual building products and components to offering complete systems like warehouses, commercial buildings, poultry farms, modular housing, cold boxes and cold stores with MEP systems.

Co- Author - Shakeel Siddiqui