Property owners, investors and occupiers are requiring superior quality, long term and low maintenance lifetime durability from their property investments.

Therefore designers and constructors have to ensure that the building’s materials, assemblies and workmanship quality meets the client’s durability, first maintenance and overall lifetime requirements. Insulated panels have been in use worldwide for over 45 years, and are a proven form of roof and wall construction for all types of environmental conditions. Factory manufactured panel systems provide enhanced on-site installation quality which supports reliable lifetime durability of the envelope system.

BS 7543: 1992 “Guide to durability of buildings and building elements, products and components”, states that durability is the ability of a building and its parts to perform its required function over a period of time.

Metal building envelopes have a typical overall lifetime in excess of 30 years, this is dependant on the specification of external coating systems, substrate, fasteners, sealants, fillers and rooflights.

Material Performance

Note: Coating lifetime warranties are project specific and dependant on building location, environment, orientation, roof pitch and colour etc,. Consult Kingspan Technical Design Bureau at design stage.

* Coating to aluminium substrate
** Subject to location, building orientation, roof slope, etc.

Building Physics Performance

Note: Lifetime periods indicated are subject to compliance with Kingspan’s design, specification and construction details.

Factors Affecting Durability

Most building materials are normally subjected to a variety of changing conditions which will gradually affect them.

These effects can be controlled by careful selection of materials and design details so that it is possible to construct metal clad buildings which require minimum maintenance, even in relatively harsh environments.

Moisture and high temperature are arguably the most aggressive of environmental conditions.

Moisture

To reduce the potential for deterioration, moisture on surfaces and within constructions should be avoided, if at all possible.

However, if it cannot be avoided then the wetting time should be kept to a minimum.

Thus the steel components in metal cladding systems are usually coated in a zinc/alloy (galvanised), and the cladding sheets themselves have additional coatings, not only for aesthetic appearance, but also for additional protection from moisture.

Temperature

Temperature can affect the life of coatings and is an important design and lifetime consideration. In general, higher temperatures will cause faster degradation. Temperature of external facings depends on colour, as in the UK in sunny summer time conditions dark coloured faces can reach temperatures of 80°C, whilst light colours may only be 55°C under the same conditions. This means that dark colours are less durable than the lighter ones.

Fasteners, Sealants & Fillers

All fasteners, sealants and fillers detailed in the model specifications have service lives as indicated opposite.

Rooflights

GRP and Polycarbonate rooflights will not have the same life span as the rest of the roof system because of the effects of UV radiation. Specifiers and building owners should plan to replace them after 15 to 20 years, depending on the environmental conditions and manufacturer’s recommendations.

Ancillary Elements

Ancillary elements (e.g. apertures, louvres and vents) lifetime period should be the same as the roof and wall envelope.

Warranties

Product warranties are provided by Kingspan on specific projects when required.

Maintenance

To achieve the best long term performance the building should be inspected routinely, any accumulation of debris should be removed from roofs, and any mechanical damage should be touched up.