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Top 3 Metal Cladding Rainscreen Systems for 2023

Feb 28, 2023Arrowhead, Arrowhead, Blogs, Market Intelligence, Product News, Technical Information, Vitrabond

One of the most effective ways of enhancing the performance of a building envelope is to use a rainscreen cladding system. The rainscreen principle began to be understood in the early 1900’s, as out lined in our blog post – History of the Rainscreen Principle and has become the standard in building envelope construction.  

Metal panel rainscreen systems, whether composite (ACM/MCM) or solid aluminum, are praised for their sustainability and aesthetics. Their adaptability to various design trends and ease of installation make them a superior choice compared to other rainscreen products.

A rainscreen system acts as a protective screen against rain, allowing moisture to penetrate behind the screen and then evaporate through ventilation. An air space behind the rainscreen ensures constant airflow, while a weather barrier serves as the primary defense between the exterior and interior. The structural wall is located inside the weather barrier, with insulation placed either inside or outside the barrier, depending on the building envelope design.

Selecting a metal panel rainscreen installation system for your cladding project can be challenging due to the variety of available options and the need for integration with other products. This guide focuses specifically on metal panel rainscreen installation systems:

1. Arrowhead Rainscreen Cladding Installation Systems by Fairview Architectural

Fairview Architectural stands out as the only metal panel façade product manufacturer offering both sheet materials and extrusions/components, ensuring installers receive a complete package from a single source for guaranteed compatibility. Additionally, Fairview mandates training and vetting for fabricators and installers, providing architects and building owners with confidence that the project will be executed correctly. This thorough approach helps prevent issues like mold growth caused by under-qualified installers or under-tested rainscreen systems.

Arrowhead is a family of rainscreen panel installation systems that offers a wide variety of design possibilities, unparalleled installation efficiencies, and long-term product lifecycle benefits.

There are numerous ways that Arrowhead saves you both money and time over any other metal panel rainscreen installation system:

  • Non-sequential installation avoids interruptions from other trades
  • Unique installation process avoids many steps in the installation process required by other systems
  • Multiple systems to choose from offering the widest variety in aesthetics in one system

 2. EVO and FUSION by Carter Architectural Panels 

Carter Architectural Panels call themselves the “North American Extrusion System Specialists”. According to their website, as they evolve, so do their products and partnerships. Originally in sheet metal and architectural panel fabrication, supplying and installing panels on site, they turned to offering fabricating rights to other fabricators across North America for their extrusions. Their objective was to cause change in the specification process through Architects and Specifiers, to accept tested panel systems, which perform exceptionally. 

The Carter website states that EVO™ RIVETLESS™ panels are value engineered and designed to withstand the harshest elements and toughest competitors, and that they are strictly a distributor of the FUSION™ DRILLFREE™ extrusion system to fabricators across North America, and do not compete in the manufacturing of any products. 

3.SAF Rainscreen Installation Systems 

SAF is a fabricator of a wide variety of metal building products, from column covers to sunshades, and metal wall panels. They can custom fabricate architectural bollards and apply custom finishes. SAF glazed and rainscreen systems come with time-tested securing systems including one with no screws or rivets visible.  

By using a pre-engineered system approach, SAF can quickly design and fabricate a building panel and extrusion system that is easy to install, enabling smooth workflows on the job site.  

As we mentioned at the start of this article, choosing a metal panel rainscreen installation system for your cladding project can be a challenge but we hope that these comparisons prove helpful. We also highly recommend specifying a rainscreen installation system that will enable your design intent while also ensuring a sound building envelope that will protect the building in any situation. Specification documents for Arrowhead Installation systems can be downloaded below: 

👉Fairview Architectural Binder 

Learn more about the Arrowhead family of rainscreen systems:  

    Get Connected – Customer Service is ready to assist by phone 860-242-2711 or by email at helpdesk@fairview-na.com.  

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