Pavehall PLC is a CIOB Chartered Building Company and CABE Company Partner. Our Professional Project Managers are Chartered in multiple Construction and Safety Disciplines. Established in 1978 Pavehall have over 40 years experience in delivering complex façade and external cladding works programmes.
The Company is ISO 9001 Accredited is and qualified to be appointed as Principal Designer and Principal Contractor. We have undertaken several pre and post Grenfell cladding replacement schemes and as a result we have a very good understanding and knowledge of cladding investigations works, material and design solutions. Our experience and technical ability give our clients comfort and trust whilst dealing with sensitive portfolios. Our successful track record with Housing Associations, Local Authorities and Private Developers gives us a real advantage over our competitors. It is company policy that each project is Director led from initial enquiry to completion and handover. The hands on approach and ongoing CPD for all staff to be fully trained in this specialist field of work underpins for the safe delivery of all projects.
Our Cladding and Fire Compliance services can be Turnkey Design & Build or Traditional in conjunction with Stakeholders approved Consultants and Specialist Framework.
We offer detailed Survey, Identification & Intrusive Investigations of Cladding Materials & Systems Full Cladding Replacement Design & Specification and Appraisal Reports for Cladding Replacement
BS 8200 'Code of practice for the design of non-loadbearing external vertical structures ' includes general details about the principles of drained and ventilated and pressure equalised systems. This is categorized by BSI as obsolescent, as it no longer represents current practice for new construction and does not comply with current Building Regulations. The Centre for Window and Cladding Technology (CWCT) 'Standard for systemised building envelopes' defines curtain walling as 'a form of predominantly vertical building envelope which supports no load other than its own weight and the environmental forces which act upon it'. Similarly, rainscreen cladding is a non-loadbearing external cladding assembly defined as 'a wall comprising an outer skin of panels and an airtight insulated backing wall separated by a ventilated cavity. Some water may penetrate into the cavity but the rainscreen is intended to provide protection from direct rain'. So, the key distinction is that curtain walling is usually the whole envelope, while rainscreen cladding is the outer protective layer of the envelope.
Ventilated facade cladding systems can improve the thermal performance of the building and provide a wide choice of colours, textures and materials to choose from to achieve the desired aesthetic finish for the exterior construction. The cavity created between the building substrate and the cladding panels allows space for insulation and creates an air flow gap which keeps the building dry and improves the thermal performance. Current building regulations state that only fire rated cladding is permitted for use on tall buildings over 18 metres in height, designed in conjunction with the positioning of fire cavity barriers, to reduce the spread and speed of flame within the cavity behind the cladding in the event that a fire reaches the exterior of the building.
Working with multiple key stakeholders and accredited Fire Engineer Pavehall have out carried out successful investigative and reinstatement works of zinc cladding and insulation. Detailed timber cladding and cavity fire break surveys to enable EWS fire-risk assessment on the external wall system.
Whilst most external cladding types carry a minimum classification of ‘surface spread of flame’ designed to slow and control the spread of fire, only FR (fire rated) cladding provides the higher classifications of either limited combustibility or non-combustibility. These cladding panels carry a fire classification result ranging from A1 to D in accordance with European Standards EN-13501- Some cladding products quote an alternative fire classification offered by the BRE (Building Research Establishment) to their BR 135 standard, this form of testing doesn’t offer a grading as above, but
tests a cladding system’s fire resistance to a specific time frame. For building regulation purposes any test using this method needs to be supported with a classification report for the proposed specification, confirming that the specification criteria of BR135 has been met.
