Plano-Therm® is an economic secret fix rainscreen system, which provides designers and specifiers with a high quality architectural finish within a realistic budget.
The panel is simple and efficient to install, with an option to fix either horizontally or vertically and can be utilised with a wide range of backing wall construction, i.e. concrete, brickwork, steel and aluminium.
This allows the designer flexibility to create traditional or unconventional aesthetics utilising the broad palette of metals, colour and finishes and when combined with the freedom to choose and mix project specific panel modules, the Plano-Therm® system offers a varied range of design opportunities.
One of the unique features of Plano-Therm® is its integration with the CA Twin-Therm® Wall and FireWall cladding system and the Solarwall® perforated Transpired Solar Collector (pTSC), this gives the designer peace of mind and confidence from a single source guarantee, covering every component within the system.
One system, one supplier, one source of responsibility
Castle View School
Princes House
Due to the planned relocation of the BBC’s centre of operations to Salford Quays in Manchester, A combined Plano-Therm® and Twin-Therm® system from CA Building Products is currently being installed onto a 26 storey tower block.
Right from the offset the project architect Chapman Taylor associates demanded that the cladding system specified must provide a superior level or of water and airtightness, and that any cladding system used must first attain accreditation from the Centre for window and Cladding Technology (CWCT).
In order to achieve accreditation the combined Plano-Therm® and Twin-Therm® system and the window interfaces would need to be tested to CWCT section 5. This comprises of four tests including an air leakage infiltration and exfiltration test, a dynamic pressure water penetration test and a wind resistance serviceability test. All tests are carried out twice to ensure consistent results.
The testing of the combined Plano-Therm® and Twin-Therm® system was carried out at Wintech’s testing facility in Telford on the 5th of September 2008.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
The Test rig was a 3.6m square bay constructed on site at Telford. The rig was designed to be representative of a section of the proposed BBC Media City tower block. Included was a the full Twin-Therm® build up, a centralised window opening and the Plano-Therm® rainscreen system comprising of vertical panels either side of the window pod and horizontal feature panels above and below.
In order to simulate such large wind loads a turbo-prop aircraft engine was positioned directly in front of the combined Plano-Therm® and Twin-Therm® system. This was used in conjunction with an array of water nozzles that cover the area of the test rig and blasted it with water. The engine is then fired up and used to produce a positive wind load of 660 pascals and monitored for 15 minutes.
The Plano-Therm® and Twin-Therm® assembly was proved to deliver an exceptionally low air leakage rate of 0.17m³/hour/m² at a pressure of 600 pascals. It was also tested at up to 2250 pascals to simulate wind load and monitor structural integrity and monitor deflection. Even at 150% of positive design wind load, the test sample passed with no structural failure. The Plano-Therm and Twin-Therm assembly passed all aspects of testing and as a result GM Services are currently underway with the installation of the combined, system.