Advantages of prepainted metal in building

Sustainability

A building constructed with prepainted metal allows architects and builders to use a minimum of material in volume and in weight. By reducing the resources required to process the material and the volume transported, you reduce overall costs and CO2 emissions.

Furthermore, prepainted metal is 100% recyclable. When metal buildings become obsolete, they can be dismantled and the materials can be reused. And metal that cannot be reused can be recycled. You borrow metal to make a building − it is never wasted.

Thermal insulation

The envelope of a building should protect against rain, wind, cold and solar radiation. Thermal insulation reduces heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer − thus reducing heating and cooling costs.

Cladding and roofing systems which use prepainted metal can be specified with the highest levels of thermal insulation to provide highly efficient building envelope systems.

Acoustic insulation

Acoustic insulation considerably enhances life’s comfort level, and so it also has an important impact on sustainability.

Prepainted metal constructions − used in conjunction with materials like gypsum board, plastic foamed board, mineral wool, or polyethylene sealing strips − are capable of achieving whatever level of acoustic insulation is desired.

Fire resistance

Requirements for fire performance vary greatly by building type and location, but prepainted metal cladding and roofing systems can cope with the most stringent of fire performance requirements.

Prepainted metal is an excellent choice, since the metal itself provides a fully fire-proof barrier and the coatings used contribute only a negligible amount to the combustible mass.

Corrosion resistance

All materials are affected by the elements and when metal is used, it is important to ensure that it is protected against corrosion.  The coatings used on prepainted metal help to ensure very long lifetimes, with some products achieving performance guarantees in excess of 30 years for outdoor use. 

Prepainted metal is a synergistic product with metal substrate, metallic coating (for steel) and organic coating working together to provide the best protection.  Tests have shown that prepainted metal consistently out-performs post-painted metal for corrosion resistance.

Passive building

Passive building − which emphasises ‘whole building energy management’ − includes taking measures to heat and cool a building using no (or minimal) energy. Design and planning can save a great amount of energy by using (or by shielding from) natural elements: namely, sunshine, warm winds and cooling breezes, or snow, rain and cold winds. Significant by-products are increased human comfort and decreased greenhouse gas emissions.

Prepainted metal cladding and roofing systems can be used to achieve passive design, the metal forming a light-weight, weatherproof skin, allowing insulation and thermal mass to play their own role.  Importantly, the low thermal mass of prepainted metal means that mass can be included in a structure only where it is beneficial to prevent over-heating and still allow thermal responsiveness where necessary.

Adaptability

Adaptability is another design consideration that must be incorporated into a building’s construction. This prevents new buildings from becoming obsolete over the short-term, and enables you to adapt buildings to future − even unanticipated − changes in requirements.

Building systems using prepainted metal provide highly adaptable buildings.  The properties of the metal give wide spans, while metal partitioning systems can be easily re-configured as use patterns change.

Ease of implementation

Taking the building from drawing board to reality is the most difficult part of any project.  With prepainted metal, construction is dry, fast and efficient.  Cladding elements are made to size, so there is virtually no wastage on site, while their large coverage makes enclosing a building a quick process.