Perhaps an architect seeks to achieve the look of a metallic panel without specifying metal for the cladding. Acrylic-based coatings can attain the look of metal in many colours and over smooth
or textured surfaces. The coating’s properties generate luminous depth and discernible visual impact, mimicking the properties of a metal panel but at a fraction of the cost.
Sustainability as a key factor
Achieving sustainability goals has become an integral part of any construction project. Engineered building enclosure systems utilizing EIFS provides several key advantages, such as sustainability.
Lighter-weight cladding (e.g. resin-cast brick versus traditional brick) allows lower deflection criteria and offers weight relief. This means the building requires fewer structural components, decreasing the amount of concrete or steel required in a building. This can also translate into cost savings and reduced embodied carbon for the building.
Construction projects also reduce their carbon footprint when they opt to ship lighter-weight cladding. Consider the savings of shipping traditional cubes of bricks, compared to boxes of resin-cast brick or pails of acrylic finish for exterior wall surfaces. It takes an equivalent of 15 trucks of traditional bricks to carry the same square footage as one truck of resin-cast bricks.
There is also a lower operational carbon footprint generated over the lifetime of the structure. Engineered building enclosure systems with EIFS produce a building which requires less energy for heating and cooling than uninsulated brick, stucco, or metal panels. Further, cladding systems with exterior insulation also use less energy over the full lifecycle of the building. This is driven by two key factors; EIFS delivers a higher total R-value, and proves to be more efficient than cavity wall insulation. The energy required to manufacture EIFS components is dramatically lower than masonry for instance, which requires kiln temperature up to 1800 C (3272 F). Depending on the finished used in EIFS, the acrylic finishes do not require any heating or cooling and the prefabricated finishes only need to be dried and cured at 60 C (140 F). The EIFS components are also light weight and therefore more can fit on a truck, lowering the carbon footprint.
According to an EIFS Council report, “Thermal and Whole Building Energy Performance of Exterior Insulated Finishing Systems Assemblies,” using EIFS can improve the performance of the building envelope up to 60 per cent, further reducing the energy consumption needed to heat or cool buildings.2
In addition, heavier cladding systems create more solid waste, both in production and at the end of their life cycle.
Integrating components
With engineered building enclosure systems, the value proposition on the construction site is also a key factor. Crews install one single building enclosure behind the facade and there are no issues with transitions between insulation and materials. The single barrier system is put in place by one installer, simplifying the production schedule and eliminating the complications of using a different collection of components. Using one installer for all components can also translate to fewer errors and faster delivery of the finished product.
Engineered building enclosure systems integrate EIFS, an air and moisture barrier, a drainage plane, and a variety of textured finish options to create sustainable, high-performance wall cladding. The system improves indoor comfort and air quality while maintaining curb appeal and lowering lifecycle costs.
Additionally, the system approach reduces the complexity when it comes to compliance. Contractors and builders can rely on testing the system, rather than performing viability tests on individual components. This more readily ensures the safety of the building and its occupants, assuring all stakeholders in the value chain. From standards and codes for fire tests, to hurricane and wind impact tests, the system components are designed to work together for the optimal building envelope.
EIFS are fully tested and building code compliant assemblies, they are Canadian Construction Materials Centre (CCMC) listed. EIFS also meets National Building Code of Canada (NBC), fire resistance rating CAN/ULC S101-2013, Standard Methods of Fire Endurance Tests of Building Construction Materials, and CAN/ULC S134-92, Standard Method of Fire Test of Exterior Wall Assemblies, and its own standard CAN/ULC-S716.1:2019, Standard for Exterior Insulated and Finish Systems (EIFS) – Materials and Systems, within the Standard Council of Canada.
