When it comes to exterior materials, the options are many. With a broad range of cladding products and facade systems, both new and traditional, to choose from specifiers are spoilt for choice.

Always a critical element in the aesthetic aspirations of architects, facades are now so much more than that. Beyond design and the role, they continue to play in presenting themselves to the world, the exteriors of commercial buildings are also assessed through the lenses of things like acoustic performance, thermal efficiency, sustainability, and fire safety.

Hebel

Hebel’s Powerpattern is a high-rise facade system designed to help realise the creative visions of architects, builders and designers. Featuring collections of patterns, pre-routed onto panels in a range of contemporary styles, this modular system combines design versatility with high performance.

Available in four collections, Lineal, Geometric, Prism and Organic, the system simplifies the façade design process and caters for all tastes and applications. On top of that, Powerpattern can be matched with a choice of textures, colours and finishes that can be painted, sprayed or rolled on, or applied using render, to provide just the right finish for each individual building.

The visual appeal and design versatility of Hebel Powerpattern is matched by its safety and performance. The company says that because it complies with relevant fire safety regulations, architects who specify this product can rest assured that it will provide years of trouble free, reliable performance. The other features of Powerpattern include its strength and the speed with which it can be installed. Its custom-made modular panels ensure fast construction and on-site efficiency.

Bluescope

Truecore steel is an aluminium/zinc/magnesium alloy coated structural steel with a distinctive blue resin surface finish. Suitable for residential applications, and also a range of commercial applications including schools, its advantages over traditional materials include its fire resistance, durability, corrosion resistance, and resistance to termites and borers.

Lightweight and easy to handle, it can be prefabricated to ensure fast installation. Consistent and dimensionally accurate, it requires little onsite adjustment and the fact that it is supplied with pre-punched service holes make it easy for follow-on trades who need to place cables, pipes, and so forth.

Designer’s using Truecore steel benefit from its strength and straightness, which make long spans and consistent straight lines possible. On top of that, frames made with this structural steel product won’t shrink, twist or warp over time, which means there's less chance of jamming doors, sticking windows or wavy rooflines.

AFS Systems

AFS rediwall by AFS Systems (part of the CSR Building Products group) is a certified Australian-made versatile permanent formwork system for building load bearing, compliant structural walls above and below ground.

Recommended for basement walls, blade walls, columns, party walls, retention tanks, retaining walls, service, and stormwater pits and so forth, afs rediwall is available with accessories that are designed to help maximise floor space in multi-storey projects.

These include Blade Columns, which are ideal for buildings of up to eight storeys with mixed framing or column frame structural arrangements; and Fire-Rated Junctions, which allow for connection to various wall types without the need to remove PVC facing.

There are several factors that set the product apart from alternatives, not the least of which are the fact that it can be installed in half the time of traditional blockwork and masonry methods, and its versatility. It is suitable for both above and below ground applications including sloping blocks.

CodeMark Certified, National Construction Code (NCC) compliant and meeting all requirements for structural, load bearing reinforced concrete walls designed in accordance with the (AS3600-2018) Concrete Structures Code, the product has achieved a fire rating up to FRL 240/240/240.

Deco Australia

Decowood is a textured woodgrain powder coating finish for aluminium that combines the natural beauty of timber with the ease and durability of aluminium. Available from Deco Australia and suitable for screens, cladding, shutters, louvres, gates, facades, and more, Decowood is claimed by the company to be 50% more durable than standard powder coating and can be relied upon for a long service life.

The beauty of aluminium is that, unlike timber, it is resistant to termite attack, and it will never warp or rot. It requires no sanding, painting, staining or oiling, and its lightweight makes it quick and easy to install.

Decowood is available in a range of batten sizes and specifiers can choose from 30 Marine Grade finishes, including Casuarina, Ironbark and Bush Cherry.

Fairview

Ceramapanel, a through-coloured compressed fibre cement panel manufactured in Europe and available in Australia from Fairview, is recommended for a range of commercial applications, including community facilities, hospitals, aged-care facilities, educational institutions, and government offices.

Available in six profiles, its multiple shades, textures, and profiles ensure plenty of scope for aesthetic expression and it is suitable for use in countless structural adaptations. On top of that, Ceramapanel is well-equipped to handle the extremes of the Australian climate, from searing summer temperatures and harsh UV rays to tropical humidity, rain and cold.

In terms of working with the product, Fairview offers installation training for all projects along with extensive technical support. Easily cut onsite, Ceramapanel cladding represents a simple installation job and requires no re-coating.

Kingspan

Kingspan Insulated Panels’ Karrier System and Dri-Design are designed to work together to provide a cost-effective, time-efficient, and thorough-wall solution. These building facades are weathertight, fire safety compliant, easy to install, and help designers meet their aesthetic ambitions, the company says.

Karrier System is a factory-engineered rainscreen substructure that comprises individual high-performance insulated panels designed to support the structural load of the façade. A standard Karrier panel is typically available in 1,100mm, and can be easily cut on-site making them useful for projects with various layout arrangements. Karrier panel systems are BS 8414-2 and are compliant to AS5113.

Karrier panels are made with tongue and groove joints, allowing them to fit tightly together and achieve excellent weathertightness and thermal performance, with no thermal bridges. The panels also contain a high performing proprietary insulation core (PIR) with R-Values up to 9.82 (m²K/W).

Dri-Design cassettes are installed by an interlocking system and directly fixed to a Karrier Panel’s external skin or fixed to form a ventilated cavity with a traditional construction method. Dri-Design is available flat, tapered, shadow or perforated.

Together, Karrier Panel and Dri-Design through wall system act as a single component construction method to replace several traditional components, namely weather membranes, air barriers, insulation, façade tophats, and fire walls.

Maxiply

Maxi Panel, a Pre-Finished Real Timber Panelling product from Maxiply, is a low VOC and non-toxic solution which celebrates the natural grain and appearance of timber.

Available in two timber finishes, Monterey Pine and Baltic Birch, the product is pre-finished with a natural, hard wax oil product that is environmentally-friendly and intended to protect the timber without restricting its ability to breath. Unlike varnishes, this oil is hard wearing, won’t chip or peel, and can be repaired if damage does occur.

Maxi Panel is available in 18 standard colours, and it can also be customised (in terms of both colour and sheet size) upon request. In terms of application, both finishes are suitable for walls and ceiling linings, while the Baltic Birch finish is also suitable for joinery. The panels may be used externally in applications that are protected from the weather and out of direct sunlight. For example, they are a great option for installation under soffits.

Network Architectural

Available from Network Architectural, Mitsubishi Alpolic NC aluminium composite cladding is composed of a non-combustible mineral core barrier containing no polyethylene. Fire-safe and fully compliant with associated regulations, it is particularly recommended for building projects requiring a very high level of fire protection, such as high-rise buildings, schools, hospitals, and retirement homes.

Beyond that, the product is also easy to process and shape, displays excellent flatness, and is impact resistant. Featuring a front side that is colour-coated with the fluoropolymer resin Lumiflon FEVE, it is also highly resistant to weathering, UV radiation, corrosion and colour fading.

Mitsubishi Alpolic NC has received an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) from Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA).

Robertsons Facades

Brick Inlay is an innovative facade solution, whose manufacturing process involves embedding thin brick, porcelain, or stone into precast concrete panels. The appeal of the product is that it combines the look and feel of a traditional brick facade or wall with the efficiencies and benefits of precast concrete.

With panels delivered on site, ready for installation, construction time and cost are significantly reduced, without any negative affect on design ambition or the result. In other words, the product enables specifier to customise any pattern and texture they seek, and see the job through to completion, efficiently and cost-effectively.

In terms of site management, the comparison between Brick Inlay and traditional brickwork are stark. With no brick, sand, lime, cement and lintel storage to handle, no onsite waste to deal with, and no need for site amenities for brick laying crews, the whole job becomes significantly simpler. In the case of Brick Inlay, scaffolding is not even required.

Rubner Theca

Mass timber (also known as engineered timber) is a new category of structural timber that has pushed the boundaries concerning the capabilities of timber well beyond low-rise residential construction. With its improved strength and structural properties, it is a viable alternative to concrete and steel in some commercial applications.

The production of mass timber involves gluing, nailing, or doweling layers of wood together to create materials that are far stronger than traditional timbers and boast an impressive weight-to-strength ratio. Available in various thicknesses, sizes, and grades, they are suitable for use as structural elements in tall structures and those with long spans.

The benefits of Mass Timber are many. They can contribute to construction flexibility, reduce labour and equipment costs, provide foundational savings, and contribute to faster completion of jobs. On top of that, the low embodied energy associated with products of this type, combined with the fact that timber is not just a replenishable resource but one that sequesters carbon from the atmosphere, make them a sustainable option.

Cemintel

CSR Cemintel Territory is a market-leading designer range of high-quality, prefinished cladding panels that simulate natural materials. Achieving the looks of stone, timber, concrete, metal, tiles and smooth render with zero maintenance, the Territory suite is ideal for a variety of internal and external commercial applications.

Classified AS 5113 EW (External Walls) for fire compliance, CSR Cemintel Territory is prefinished in a variety of colours and simulated textures and available in a choice of simple aluminium or colour-matched preformed corners. Supplied with platinum coating technology to protect against UV damage and colour fade, and featuring a ventilated cavity to keep buildings dry, it can be relied upon for a long working life and minimal maintenance requirements.

Backed by its parent company CSR Building Products, CSR Cemintel offers comprehensive support and a suite of tools help make the specification process as easy as possible.