Text and images: ArcelorMittal Construction

Offering aesthetic appeal, high performance, sustainability, and safety, carrier panel solutions are becoming increasingly popular with architects and specifiers seeking the perfect facade for their projects.

The facade, a complex part of the building

As buildings account for roughly 40% of global final energy use, sourcing sustainable ways to construct buildings with optimised energy performance is of increasing importance (researchgate). A building’s facade directly impacts the overall environmental footprint of a development, as well as the end users' comfort.

Designing a building’s facade means meeting complex aesthetic and technical demands while taking into account humidity, light, appearance, and weather-resistance as well as multiple safety, engineering, and energy efficiency regulations. A carrier panel system enables project specifiers to meet all of these needs due to its factory guaranteed performance and versatility.

What is a carrier panel solution?

A carrier panel facade solution consists of a metal faced sandwich panel, which works as both insulation and carrying structure; a fixing system to connect the outer skin of the building to the panel; an air spacer; and an external skin, which is the visible part of the facade. It is an all-in-one solution that offers architects and specifiers a way to lower a building’s energy demand whilst remaining functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Carrier panel systems also allow for reduced building costs due to the ease and speed with which a facade can be installed, repaired, or revamped. Carrier panel systems also deliver a great deal of architectural freedom as they are suited to a range of external skins, textures, profiles, and custom colours. For architects and specifiers, this means almost any design is possible - without compromising on build quality and technical performance.

What are the benefits of a carrier panel system?

Carrier panel systems are designed for projects which need to utilise the benefits of a sandwich panel wall whilst also offering creative freedom for the facade design. The system provides office buildings, collective residential buildings, and leisure and shopping facilities with functional and visually attractive external cladding. There are even more benefits to carrier panel systems:

•     Faster build times

By removing the need for conventional building materials and methods, insulation, and some subframe structures, carrier panel systems ensure the application of facades is simple and quick. By rendering a building wind and waterproof immediately after application is completed, the internal fit-out can be started immediately. All-in-one systems also mean fewer complex products, suppliers, and deliveries, so your project can stay on schedule.

•     More sustainable

Quality insulated sandwich panels and cladding boast excellent sustainability credentials. In addition to faster build times, the speed and simplicity of installation cuts down significantly on emissions in the construction phase, while their light weight reduces emissions in transit. Predominantly made from steel, the embodied energy of carrier panels (that is, the energy required to produce them) is also low. For example, 40% of the steel used by ArcelorMittal Construction comes from recycled sources. Finally, thanks largely to their reduced thermal bridging and superior air tightness and insulation, carrier panels result in fewer emissions over the course of a building’s lifecycle.

•     High performance

From excellent thermal performance to fire safety, air tightness, sound insulation, and load-bearing qualities, carrier panel systems offer long-lasting, durable construction solutions which can be adapted to any design with total flexibility of external skins, colours, profiles, and textures.

ArcelorMittal Construction carrier panel solutions: freedom to design

As a leading manufacturer of smart building systems, ArcelorMittal Construction’s carrier panel solutions offer sustainability, technical performance, and aesthetic appeal as well as complete architectural freedom for designers and specifiers. Our interlocking carrier panel systems are also designed for fast and easy application and regulations compliance.

Archisol® is a carrier panel with visible fixings that has been developed with high performance in mind to meet new standards in thermal insulation: the system combines superior weather and heat resistance with outstanding airtightness and low thermal transmittance. Other benefits include very good mechanical resistance to wind actions, allowing for larger spans.

Also available is Promisol® S Hybrid, a double skin facade solution with hidden fixings and (similarly to Archisol®) outstanding thermal insulation and durability. In addition, Promisol® S Hybrid has superb fire reaction standards and is Fire EI30 certified.

Both solutions deliver limitless aesthetic freedom of design; have no complex proprietary system or installation guidelines; and, unlike other systems available on the market, use sustainable organic coatings.

Our technical support team studies every project case by case to provide the best solutions in terms of mechanical resistance and thermal insulation. We will also assist you in choosing the most suitable aesthetical solution from our broad range of external cladding products, from architectural profiles and sidings to cassette systems - all with a wide choice of finishes and colours.

ArcelorMittal Construction Sweden has completed its deal with Llentab, a manufacturer and contractor for steel buildings, to acquire its Kungshamn panel production line in Sweden.

Successful teamwork

News of the deal was first announced in December 2020 and since then, intensive work has been underway to prepare for the takeover on 1 April 2021. On this day, the takeover was celebrated with a ceremony in the production premises in Kungshamn.

Speaking on-site, ArcelorMittal Construction Scandinavia CEO Van Hoa Nguyen said: "We are very happy to be celebrating the completion of the deal today and the start of ArcelorMittal operating here in Kungshamn. There is a lot involved in a successful takeover of an industrial asset such as this panel production line in terms of both people and technology. I am extremely proud of everyone in the team who has put their soul into getting everything in place."

Developing and expanding production

The line, which produces mineral wool (MiWo) panels for steel buildings, adds to the existing profile production lines in ArcelorMittal Construction’s Swedish business and will boost the company’s competitiveness in the Scandinavian market by giving it its first panel production manufacturing capability in the region.

“This acquisition will allow us to further develop ArcelorMittal Construction’s business in a very dynamic market by developing and expanding production of MiWo panels in Kungshamn to its full potential and becoming the first-choice supplier of panels in Scandinavia. We will continue to invest in the business here in Kungshamn and hope to create more job opportunities in the area" Van Hoa Nguyen continued.

Production in Kungshamn will be run in close cooperation with Llentab. "We welcome ArcelorMittal as a ‘neighbour’ here in Kungshamn and look forward to continued cooperation with them," said Stefan Eklund, CEO of Llentab Group.

ArcelorMittal Construction

ArcelorMittal Construction creates innovative building systems for a broad range of buildings and has a presence in 15 countries with around 2000 employees.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Constructalia

Images:
ArcelorMittal