Ventilated facade

Ventilated facades got their name after the ventilated layer i.e. the layer of air between the insulation material and the external, decorative layer. Today, they represent one of the most frequently used methods of veneering external walls of business buildings.

Basic elements of a ventilated facade and their functions: 

• Supporting substructure - horizontal and vertical profiles
  

Substructure is mechanically tightened to a supporting wall, in accordance with instructions of the facade manufacturer. The role of the substructure is to support the external, facade covering and to transmit the load generated by wind to the bearing structure.

• Knauf Rock stone wool insulation material
  

Thermal insulation material in a system of ventilated facades must be rigid and properly bonded in order to prevent tearing and dispersion of the material due to any stronger air flow in the ventilated layer. Higher density of insulation material also prevents the infiltration of cold air into the material.

• KR PVF in all systems of ventilated facades  
• KR P in a system of ventilated facades up to 12m high.
  
• KR L in a system of ventilated facades for smaller height buildings

Stone wool slabs are placed close to each other, without any empty space between them. The slabs are mechanically tightened in order to obtain the effect of pressurizing the slabs against the supporting wall. Specially designed screw anchors for ventilated facades should be used, with head diameters of  90mm. The recommended number of screw anchors is 6pc/m² while in edge zones the number should be increased because of a stronger wind flow (all in accordance with recommendations of the screw anchors manufacturer).

• Resistance to longitudinal air flow: glass quilt protects the slab surface against stronger air flow within the air layer  
• Hydrophobic nature of slabs:in this way stone wool slabs are additionally protected against direct weather effects as of rain or snow, due to possible larger joints between slabs of the external veneer. 

• Ventilated layer
  

The ventilated layer size is min. 2cm (in accordance with recommendations of the facade manufacturer). The role of this layer is to take diffusive moisture out of the building (from internal, warmer space to outer, colder environment – that is why a vapour barrier is not necessary), as well as to eliminate water that may penetrate the external veneer. In summer, it prevents heat to get into the building (decreases the heating of the basic wall mass), while in winter it is an additional thermal insulator.

• External, decorative layer
  

This layer defines the visual appearance of the building and it may be constructed of glass, marble, stone, alukobond, ... The role of this layer is to provide protection against the sun, rain and other atmospheric influences. This layer also receives and transmits loads generated by wind to the supporting structure.