With the latest manufacturing technology, porcelain has now become one of the most exciting products for commercial building cladding. With exceptional aesthetics, combined with its mechanical properties, porcelain offers many benefits and exceptionally low maintenance. Traditionally, porcelain has been limited in panel size (typically max size 1200 x 1200mm) which combined with a fairly brittle nature, has limited it’s use in active seismic zones. Latest production techniques have radically changed this.
Porcelain is fired at 1200 - 1250°C during production and is non-combustible; plain porcelain will not support combustion or produce toxic fumes/smoke. The new multi-layer, large panel format is typically 2 thinner sheets, robotically laminated with a high-quality, polyurethane adhesive and fiberglass fabric reinforcement. The adhesive is completely encapsulated between the two non-combustible layers, as such a small level of smoke and fumes are produced in the event of fire (yet significantly less than most other cladding materials), and will not openly support combustion. In some classes of building it is important to consider potential implications of this with the project fire engineer. Insite Facades have experience with this and fire-test data, to support robust engineering and ensure NZBC code compliance.
Insite Facades have a unique position in the NZ market, in that we have processing machinery and handling equipment including vacuum glass-lifters in-house to enable safe and efficient handling of large-format porcelain, eliminating damage.
Large-format porcelain provides unmatched aesthetics to create stunning facades. With the advent of large-scale digital printing techniques, utilising coloured silica sand and specialist oxides, large format porcelain offers the ability to create any desired aesthetic including;
When installed on a suitably durable carrier system, large format porcelain can provide a robust, low maintenance facade solution to last in excess of 50 years.
Large format porcelain has a wide range of applications and construction methods, these include:
Insite have proprietary brackets and carrier systems for all the above situations, to ensure site-specific engineering demands are met in accordance with NZBC structural and seismic requirements. Panels can be attached with either visible or discrete adhesive and/or mechanical fixings.
Consideration | Result | Test Standard |
Fire | Non-Combustible | EN ISO 1182 |
Dimensional & Surface Quality | Very Low Tolerance | EN ISO 10545-2 |
Water Absorption | < 0.1% | EN ISO 10545-3 |
Flexural Strength | > 45 N/mm2 | EN ISO 10545-4 |
Linear Coefficient of Expansion | 6 x 10⁻⁶ | EN ISO 10545-8 |
Acid & Alkali Resistance | No Damage (exc. Hydrofluoric Acid) | EN ISO 10545-13 |
Stain Resistance | Guaranteed | EN ISO 10545-14 |
Colour Resistance to UV Exposure | No Change | DIN 51094 |