CLADDING + FACADE SYMPOSIUM REPORT
ORGANISED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, WITH CSR AND INHABIT, THE SYMPOSIUM ON FACADE AND CLADDING TECHNOLOGY WAS HELD IN MELBOURNE ON 16 MARCH. IT PROVIDED A TIMELY SNAPSHOT OF THE CHALLENGES FACING THE CLADDING CATEGORY, AN ANALYSIS OF CURRENT RESEARCH, AND A SNAPSHOT OF CREATIVE CLADDING SOLUTIONS.
Speaking on the Government’s initiatives to address the issues of non-conforming facades and cladding materials, Dr Trevor Pisciotta, Director of Buildings, Victorian Cladding Task Force, cited the Lacrosse fire in Melbourne in 2014 and Grenfell Tower fire in London last year as turning points in triggering a reassessment of cladding protocol.
With the use of aluminium composite and rendered expanded polystyrene identified as critical risk factors, Pisciotta outlined factors behind the widespread use non-compliant cladding including a poor culture of compliance and shortfalls in the regulatory system.
Competitive pressures that incentivised taking shortcuts were part of what he described as a systemic failure that had led to activities including the substitution of noncompliant products between the approval and construction phase.
While the Task Force had commenced an audit of Victorian government buildings, Pisciotta indicated the greater task at hand was sizeable. In particular, questions remained over funding. “Currently, owners’ corporations take responsibility for the cost of changing cladding and the cost goes on to residents, often costing as much as $40,000. Work is underway in terms of financing options but at present there are no plans for the state to fund this.”
“Currently, owners’ corporations take responsibility for the cost of changing cladding and the cost goes on to residents, often costing as much as $40,000. Work is underway in terms of financing options but at present there are no plans for the state to fund this.” Trevor Pisciotta, Director of Buildings, Victorian Cladding Task Force.
Rob Ferrari, Manager of Unitised Rainscreen Facades, CSR Limited, presented an introduction to the Inclose Prefabricated Unitised Facade System. A collaboration with New York exterior fabrication specialist Island, Inclose fills a gap in the market for large format, lightweight facades.
The panels incorporate a rainscreen or ventilated / double skinned facade, designed to provide superior weathertightness and building performance.
Benefits include speed of enclosure, allowing earlier interior finishing; site efficiency entailing fewer trades; reduced safety, weather and quality risks; and supply chain guaranteed through local manufacture at the Inclose plant in Port Kembla, NSW.
A presentation by Inhabit looked at innovations in facade design using Passivhaus principles, with Inhabit’s expertise demonstrated in its role as Facade Consultant for a groundbreaking low emissions building at Monash University’s Clayton Campus in Melbourne. The façade comprises a unitised façade system and bespoke cladding system.
Dylan Brady, Director of deciBel Architecture, gave an inspiring whistle-stop tour of the company’s expertise in Specialist Artistic Facade Design, demonstrated by iconic schemes such as Melbourne’s Pixel Building, which is characterised by its colourful facade and has won plaudits as a Green building.
The Pixel Building in Melbourne’s facade is central to its iconic status.
Concluding with a panel discussion, the symposium also offered other industry presentations including a talk on the challenges in design, construction and maintenance of building facades, by Professor Tuan Ngo and the University of Melbourne’s Research Team. Dr Kate Nguyen also presented her work, along with the University of Melbourne’s Research Team, on the performance of aluminium composite panels and the latest simulation technologies to identify fire safety issues.■
