System 11
Aluminium Composite Dry Façade
ACP rainscreen cladding
- Family
- Ventilated Dry Façades
- Typical use
- Formable ventilated cladding
- Relative weight
- Light
- Transparency
- None
Two aluminium skins bonded to a mineral or polymer core, formed into cassettes and hung on an aluminium substructure. Light, flat, and formable into curves and returns that no rigid panel will make.
The critical specification is the core. Fire-rated and A2 mineral cores behave entirely differently from polyethylene ones, and the difference is not visible in the finished façade.
Where it works
- Commercial and office buildings
- Retail and showroom frontages
- Airports and transport buildings
- Healthcare buildings
- Signage and feature elements
- Overcladding and renovation
Design notes
- 01
Core specification
Specify the core class explicitly — A2 or FR — and require certification. This is the single most important line in the specification.
- 02
Cassette fabrication
Folded cassettes hold their line better than riveted flat sheet, and allow concealed fixing.
- 03
Coating
PVDF or FEVE for colour stability. Polyester coatings chalk within a few years in high-UV climates.
- 04
Oil-canning
Flatness across large panels is a function of thickness, fixing spacing and handling. Panel size is limited by appearance before it is limited by strength.
Specification
Aluminium Composite Dry Façade
Indicative ranges for the system type. Project values are confirmed against the brief, the applicable code and the tested assembly.
Ask about this system| Parameter | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Panel construction | 0.5 / 3.0 / 0.5 mm aluminium – core – aluminium |
| Core type | A2 mineral-filled or FR grade — specify explicitly |
| Total thickness | 4 mm standard; 6 mm on request |
| Panel format range | Cassettes to 1,500 × 4,000 mm |
| Weight | 5.5 kg/m² standard core; 7.6 kg/m² A2 mineral core |
| Coating system | PVDF 70/30 or FEVE to EN 12206 / AAMA 2605 |
| Colour range | Full RAL and NCS, metallic, and custom matched |
| Fixing system | Folded cassette on rail, concealed or riveted |
| Reaction to fire | A2-s1,d0 to EN 13501-1 with mineral core |
| Design wind load | Project-specific — to EN 1991-1-4 or ASCE 7 |
Indicative ranges for the system type, referenced to the governing standards. Project values are confirmed by CORTEX against the brief, the applicable code and the tested assembly.
Reference
Reference gallery
Examples of aluminium composite dry façade as a form, reproduced from the CORTEX Façade Systems catalogue to show the range the system covers. These are reference images of the system type, not CORTEX projects — our delivered work is under Projects.
Delivered with this system