Rainscreen Cladding Panels in Gentilly Renovation Project | Ductal®

Under ANRU (the National Urban Renewal Agency), this renovation operation presented great complexity as many different types of work had to be carried out. The project owner, OPALY, wanted to both preserve the overall consistency of the residence and develop a new image for the neighborhood.

OPALY is committed to providing a sustainable response and offering high-quality homes, therefore an External Thermal Insulation (ETI) solution was an ideal match. UHPC (Ultra-High Performance Concrete) cladding panel solution meets high thermal standards thanks to its fiber-reinforced UHPC which offers durability, low-porosity, resilience, and ductility.

After hesitating between a traditional concrete or Ductal® facing, the Ductal® option proved to be the most economical, particularly from the point of view of implementation. The cladding panels are 16 mm thick, and therefore weigh approximately 37 kg/m², ⅓ or even ¼ of the weight of traditional concrete panels.

Advantages

As Ductal® is not very porous, its aesthetic and mechanical durability is very high and the panels are easy to maintain and can simply be washed with water. The panels installed at street level are resistant to impact and are also treated with an anti-graffiti product.

• Mechanical durability - promised over the project’s entire life cycle
• Wide range of customization options for the façade - larger panels of smaller thickness
• Dramatic reduction in the number of thermal bridges in a building’s structure
• Increased resistance and protection through the exterior, finished facade
• Optimal thermal comfort in winter and summer
• Insulation and aesthetics in one package
• Anti-graffiti treatment
• Easy to maintain - can be washed with water

Manufacturing process

Ductal® siding panels were produced at a competitive cost using an industrial-scale process. Panels come in three standard sizes: 1.2 × 1.2 m, 1.2 × 2.4 m, and 1.2 × 3.6 m. These are then cut to the dimensions specified by the architect using a 5-axis milling machine. Larger panels are made to measure.

Installation

Panels are installed using concealed clamps on rails. The rails are fixed to a vertical frame, which is in turn fixed to a concrete support using brackets. All fastenings are made of aluminum.