By Albert Aronov, AIA
Older masonry structures from many eras, including libraries, town halls, commercial blocks, and school buildings, stand at the geographic centre of many communities, holding symbolic meaning and serving varied needs and purposes. As they age, many begin to show the effects of neglect, weather, and deferred maintenance on their facades, foundations, and roof assemblies.
While some historic enclosures merit careful restoration, in other cases, non-heritage or non-culturally significant buildings simply need to be renovated and modernized for the long-term. Commercial, institutional, and government owners are increasingly turning to facade overcladding as one solution for poorly performing brick, stone, and stucco clad buildings.
Investing in smart, context-sensitive overcladdings—as well as upgrading older masonry buildings with new, energy-wise envelope improvements—can contribute to not just better buildings but also improved neighbourhoods.
Many cities across North America are contending with government and school buildings from the last century, built with solid masonry bearing walls.
“Many are leaking,” according to Carmi Bee, FAIA, of RKTB Architects. “The resulting degradation can be severe, damaging to brickwork, window openings, and interior plaster walls.”
Instead of removing original masonry, which can affect structural integrity, architects can design a new insulated facade layer and vapour barrier, making the enclosures watertight, energy efficient, and attractive. Examples include a 1907 school where a team at RKTB Architects, including Bee, designed and specified a restoration of the original architectural features lost over time, while protecting the interiors from moisture degradation with an overcladding system of a parge coat, moisture barrier, drainage mat, and new face brick recapturing the original school’s silhouette.
What is overcladding?
Overcladding is not consistently defined across the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) fields, but it generally means a performative layer added to an existing building, not a decorative or purely esthetic exterior treatment. Similar to a reroof overlayment, adding new envelope construction over existing masonry, concrete, brick, and other facade materials presents an effective and desirable approach for revitalizing building facades in reconstruction projects.
