The Versatility of Aluminium Cladding

With contemporary designs aiming to show uniqueness in style and form, while boasting durability and longevity, architects, designers and builders seek to choose a cladding material that can match their design requirements, both for aesthetics and compliance.

Durable and easily fabricated, aluminium lends itself to a wide variety of styles, is available in a range of forms including sheets, extruded profiles and flat panels, and can feature different finishes, colours and textures to suit design requirements. Aluminium has garnered a reputation as a popular and reliable choice for exterior cladding, for its ability to replicate favoured cladding styles, be customised to meet specific design briefs and withstand a variety of conditions, all while complying with the relevant Australian standards for non-combustibility and weatherproofing.

The most widely used and robust styles of aluminium cladding, including extrusions and aluminium sheet cladding, can allow architects to achieve modern and unique designs. Fairview’s leading panels range, which encompasses a variety of aluminium cladding styles, offers designers creative freedom and customisation when it comes to specification.

Types of Aluminium Panel Cladding

Aluminium cladding is heralded as an innovative building material, compliant for use across residential, commercial, industrial and recreational industries. Specifiers typically turn to three popular types of aluminium cladding to achieve their design:

Solid aluminium wall panels

Solid aluminium is increasing in popularity due to the desire to specify fully non-combustible materials, as well as weatherproof options. Lightweight, and with the ability to be fabricated, curved, rolled or perforated, solid aluminium panels can add contemporary style to a façade, combined with easy installation. Solid aluminium panels are typically made from either 3000 or 5000 series aluminium, due to the exceptional ability of these alloys to withstand the elements, and are often pre-finished to facilitate easier onsite installation. Solid aluminium panels have the advantage of being either face-fixed, or slotted into existing cassette systems for efficient recladding projects.

Solid aluminium extruded profiles

Extruded aluminium is popular for its ability to replicate classic cladding styles, such as traditional weatherboards or standing seam cladding. Aluminium profiles often feature shadows, seams, steps or recesses between boards, mimicking beloved wall cladding styles, and can be finished in timber grains, or contemporary colours and metallic finishes for more urban designs. With interlocking boards, aluminium profiles can often be used as a complete rainscreen system, protecting the building envelope from damage caused by moisture. Typically offered in long board form, solid aluminium profiles can be installed horizontally or vertically to achieve different aesthetics.

Engineered aluminium panels

While solid aluminium is highly popular, engineered aluminium panels are still a reliable, easy-install option for many façades, and a popular design aesthetic for high-rise residential and commercial products. They’re composed of two aluminium skins surrounding a core made from fire-resistant materials such as profiled aluminium ‘honeycomb’ or non-combustible minerals. These specially engineered panels are exceptionally lightweight, resistant to distortion or oil-canning, and can be installed quickly and easily as a cassette system.

Aluminium Cladding Finishing and Customisation Options

As well as being available in a variety of sheet, panel and board styles, aluminium cladding can be finished using a variety of coatings, to achieve different colours and even textures. Finishes add an extra layer of durability to aluminium cladding, further protecting it and the building envelope from rain, moisture, abrasion and UV rays, while achieving and maintaining the desired façade aesthetic. Popular finishing options for aluminium cladding include powder coating and paint coatings, which typically offer matt, gloss or metallic colours, as well as coil coating, which allows for a wider colour range with extra durability. To replicate the appearance of timber cladding, a woodgrain appearance can be achieved using powder coating techniques such as sublimation or powder-on-powder technology. For an urban design, anodising can achieve a metallic finish in a range of colours, while added techniques such as brushing or perforation can add depth and texture to the façade.

Fairview Aluminium Cladding Solutions

Friends of the industry and leaders in aluminium cladding solutions, Fairview specialises in designing and manufacturing premium interior and exterior aluminium cladding across Australia. Fairview offers a variety of aluminium cladding products suitable for interior and exterior applications, and for a wide range of façade designs and styles.

All certified compliant with Australian Standards and tested extensively to ensure durability and weatherproofing, Fairview’s aluminium cladding options allow for luxurious designs and creative flexibility. Fairview’s four high-quality cladding solutions deliver a range of colours, textures and finishes to suit all manner of applications, from traditional façade designs to the modern and experimental.

Stryüm

Stryüm is a premium rainscreen façade system made from solid, extruded aluminium. It features a hidden interlocking system, available in various popular profile styles including standing seam, step and shadow designs. Stryüm comes pre-finished in a range of finishes to suit design specifications, including anodising, textured woodgrains for a classic timber effect, and unlimited powder coat colours to match specification. Non-combustible and 100% Australian made, Stryüm offers a compliant aluminium panelling option with almost infinite design flexibility.

Stryüm can be installed horizontally or vertically to achieve multisensory designs, and has been used in a wide variety of high-end specification projects.

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Vitradual

Australia’s first non-combustible cassette cladding, Vitradual is a pre-finished 3mm solid aluminium panel system. With proven integrity and performance, Vitradual boasts high impact resistance and can withstand significant weather and pollution, making it a market-leading performer. Available in both 3003 and 5052 series aluminium, Vitradual offers a sustainable façade option, as it is 100% recyclable, and finished in durable PVDF finish for an extended lifespan.

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Vitracore G2

Vitracore G2 is a specially engineered panel containing no combustible elements, featuring instead an aluminium honeycomb core. These non-combustible engineered aluminium panels are lightweight and fully compliant with AS 1530.1 and AS 1530.3 and suitable for Type A, B and C constructions where non-combustible materials are required. As Vitracore G2 panels contain 40% less aluminium than solid panels, makes them an ideal option for major infrastructure and rectification projects such as education facilities and hospitals, requiring less people and ancillary installation support.

Installed in a pre-made cassette system, Vitracore G2 is cost-effective, corrosion and pollution resistant, and finished in PVDF for added longevity. This coil coating paint system also allows for a high degree of personalisation, allowing the choice of a broad range of colours, as well as the option of customisable graphic panels.

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Why Choose Fairview Aluminium Wall and Façade Cladding?

With a variety of versatile aluminium cladding options available, Fairview allows architects, builders and specifiers to design and build their ideal façade while reaping a range of benefits.

Cost-Effective

Aluminium cladding is robust and durable, and its reduced installation times and increased lifespan save on overall project costs.

Sustainable

With weatherproofing and rainscreen options, aluminium cladding increases the energy efficiency of the building overall. As it is also reflective, it also allows for more efficient light management for biophilic designs and reduced energy usage. Fairview’s ventilated cladding systems provide improved insulation, also offering greater occupant comfort.

Flexible

Aluminium cladding can be easily customised, cut to size or into desired shapes to allow for design flexibility and creativity.

Easy to Install

Aluminium cladding is typically lightweight, pre-finished and easily fabricated, and can be simply face-fixed or installed using a cassette system, reducing time and costs.

Low Maintenance

All Fairview’s aluminium cladding options require minimal cleaning, reducing overall project costs while retaining their aesthetic for longer.

15 year warranty

With Fairview’s 360-View quality assurance and a 15 year warranty guaranteed, Fairview’s aluminium cladding panels all provide peace of mind when it comes to durability, long-lasting aesthetics and compliant design.

To learn more about Fairview’s aluminium cladding offerings, contact our friendly and knowledgeable customer service team.