These days, designing and installing the right solution for the building envelope means serving two masters – durability and aesthetics.
Does the solution deliver advanced performance characteristics so it can effectively protect the structure from what Mother Nature will throw at it over time?
Simultaneously, does the external cladding provide design flexibility for architects such that it can deliver curb appeal, a signature for the building that will enable it to stand out?
And can it all be accomplished with one complete, integrated system rather than assembling different components from different manufacturers, which makes everything more complicated?
Enter StoVentec™ Rainscreen® Cladding Systems from Sto.
Available in both glass panels and render finishes, StoVentec provides designers with a whole new range of aesthetic choices within proven Rainscreen® systems. StoVentec combines distinctive looks for building façades with the highly-engineered performance characteristics Sto® is famous for around the world.
It’s All About Integration
StoVentec ventilated Rainscreen cladding systems provide superior weathertightness, thermal performance and fire protection, all in a single solution.
StoVentec Glass applies the versatility and visual appeal of glass to a rain screen cladding system, creating even more possibilities for designers and architects to put their signature on the exterior wall of a structure.
Here is a closer look at the key components:
- A Sto AirSeal® air and moisture barrier provides single-source, continuous, fully integrated air and moisture protection.
- Thermal insulation in the form of noncombustible mineral wool. Insulation thickness can be varied to meet design and thermal requirements.
- StoVentro™ Sub-construction, which is adjustable to compensate for uneven substrates and provide flush transitions between different rainscreen claddings.
- StoVentec Carrier Board, an expanded glass bead composite board that combines light weight with high strength, stiffness and flexibility. It also features 96-percent recycled content.
- The StoVentec Glass Panel assembly, featuring durable, heat-soaked glass permanently bonded to StoVentec Carrier Board.
The StoVentec Glass manufacturing process permanently fuses colors onto the back of each glass panel. Solid colors or custom printed images can be applied. Glass is then fully bonded to the proprietary carrier board. The end result is a strong, hard, long-lasting panel that looks great.
StoVentec Render is a complete system solution that integrates multiple components. Behind the cladding, the control layers are similar to those used with StoVentec Glass:
- A Sto AirSeal air and moisture barrier.
- Thermal insulation made of non-combustible mineral wool.
- StoVentro Sub-construction.
Render cladding begins with strong, stiff, lightweight StoVentec Carrier Board mechanically fastened to StoVentro Sub-construction. Continuous fiberglass mesh is embedded in Sto Armat Classic base coat on top of Carrier Board, creating a super-strong, crack- and impact-resistant skin. Premium Sto finishes add diversity of color and texture. Optional StoColor Dryonic water-shedding coatings and Lotusan self-cleaning finishes provide durable, long-lasting, low-maintenance appearances.
Adjustable StoVentro Sub-construction paired with strong and flexible StoVentec Carrier Board can be used to create smooth, radiused shapes. Nothing else looks and performs like StoVentec Render.
Reducing Complexity
In today’s construction environment, most rain screen walls are created by combining products from multiple suppliers. Various components must work together effectively even though they have been designed separately.
Consider the level of complexity involved. Architects and specifiers must identify several different components from a variety of manufacturers, integrate them together, ensure they work as a fully compatible code-compliant system, and be responsible for their decisions. Application instructions from multiple suppliers may offer conflicting guidance. Subtle aspects of fire and moisture control strategies, such as allowable gap size, may be lost. StoVentec eliminates these challenges, delivering fully compatible, complete Rainscreen systems. Backed by rigorous testing, StoVentec Render and StoVentec Glass deliver optimal performance and insulation while also providing a multitude of design options.
StoVentec complete Rainscreen systems combine seamless air barrier connections and compatibility, building code compliance and comprehensive support, with appearances that look fantastic.
By Richard Martens
Richard Martens is director, business development at Sto Corp., focused on rainscreen wall systems and prefabricated construction technologies. He earned a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the University of Toronto.