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Ceramic rainscreen cladding is an A1 fire rated, highly versatile, modern facade solution with excellent mechanical and aesthetic characteristics. Available in a wide variety of beautiful colours and textures, ceramic cladding enables architects to achieve different facade finishes through the use of visible and hidden fixings as part of the structural design.

Made entirely from natural materials, ceramic cladding can be designed to deliver a contemporary finish, or something more traditional, reproducing the natural beauty and appearance of hewn stone such as granite or marble.

Ceramic systems also have long-lasting good looks. Every ceramic cladding panel offers complete tonal integrity and design consistency, with through-body colour, pattern and graining – ensuring that its aesthetics do not change over time.

The material is light, UV radiation resistant and completely impermeable. This type of rainscreen cladding does not absorb airborne contamination or dust, nor does it support algae growth.

Its relative light-weight compares very favourably with naturally quarried stone too, significantly reducing loadings on the substructure and building exterior. Other benefits include easier on-site handling and installing, resulting in a faster, cost-effective operation.

An innovative material, ceramic rainscreen cladding is the choice of architects who want an A1 rated, engineered solution with known performance.

Aliva UK offers a range of ceramic rainscreen cladding solutions, including light-weight options that are equally suitable for new build and refurbishment, available in a variety of sizes up to 1000m x 3000mm and engineered slabs 1500mm x 3400mm.

A thoroughbred ceramic system in our stable

Aliva is parading its sleek ceramic facade at Newbury Race Course on a £42m, 1,500 luxury apartment David Wilson Homes development.

Its internationally award-winning ceramic facade was on fine form for this stylish complex featuring a statement wrap-around finish, including horizontal features for the individual apartment balconies.

A thoroughbred facade system, Aliva worked with Roberts Limbrick Architects to design and supply 10,000sqm of the white ceramic tiles complete with Hydrotect, an innovative self-cleaning nano technology that ensures a long lasting finish for years to come.

Aliva’s use of Hydrotect coated tiles on the project secured an international award for the best use of the technology in architecture from its Japanese manufacturer Toto.

Making a ceramic statement at Brighton Marina

Aliva’s ceramic system provided a stunning finish for a major residential and leisure development at Europe’s largest marina, including 175 seafront apartments, commercial spaces and a new lifeboat base.

Aliva supplied more than 6,000sqm of ceramic cladding, a finish tough enough to withstand Brighton seafront’s demanding weather conditions. The cladding features a trio of colours: off white, light and mid grey – shades sympathetic to the seascape, which have helped transform Brighton’s shoreline.

This was a highly complex design due to the location of the project, very high wind loads not just at the top of the building but also the tunnelling nature of the winds between two of the buildings.

Aliva also had to design faceted areas due to the curving nature of the buildings and incorporate numerous cuts within the tiles to ensure the buildings looked aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

T’is the season for ceramic at Winter Gardens

Two textures of ceramic cladding combined with waterjet cut detailing created a strong visual identity for academic institution Weston College at the historic Winter Gardens Pavilion in Weston-Super-Mare.

Aliva was briefed to create a facade combination that paid homage to the Winter Gardens’ classic art deco design, while looking to the future, as the college seeks to attract new students.

Pivotal architectural detailing on the project includes the effect of a floating cube above the entrance to the college to bring aspects of new build and the historic pavilion’s refurbishment together.

Two distinct ceramic cladding colours and textures created standout detailing on the Winter Gardens project. Aliva’s white Lappato tiles, a ceramic with a semi-polished finish, created the aesthetic for the floating cube, complemented by dark grey Bocciardato tiles used for the lower area/ground floor. Bocciardato tiles have a brush-hammered finish, creating a rough stone appearance.

The ‘Winter Gardens’ lettering on the cube was formed from two layers of ceramic, with a water jet used to cut out the wording in the front tile, making the North elevation a visible and recognisable landmark from street level. Used in combination, 300sqm in two ceramic finishes created exceptional contrast, not just in colour but surface.

In the market for ceramic cladding

Architects CZWG wanted an edgy, standout facade on a new community building for Rathbone Market in London’s Canning Town, part of a new public square in the £25m second phase of the regeneration of the area.

Aliva provided a black polished ceramic granite finish that ensured the building took its place as a striking landmark for the local community.

To ensure a seamless finish, Aliva designed the sub-grid using extruded brackets, mullions and transoms. The horizontal carrier rail was finished in black PPC coating. The cladding tiles were fixed with specialist undercut anchors to meet the architect’s brief for precise, sharp angles into the large windows.

James Ormerod, Aliva UK’s Managing Director, said: “Graceful, sophisticated ceramic rainscreen cladding solutions allow architects to push the boundaries of finish and texture even further. As well as being A1 fire rated, ceramic cladding is one of the strongest materials for facade solutions, with a range of thicknesses, panel sizes and weights possible, as a complement to these features it also resists frost, fire and scratching. Ceramic is a beautiful, sleek and durable facade solution. With our design services, the off-site manufacture of corners and bespoke elements can be achieved to suit the architectural vision of any build.”