There’s a lot happening in the roofing and cladding building solution segments in India. New technologies are widening the palette of options, spurring these industries to record a CAGR above 5 per cent. Such growth is likely to continue up until 2027, according to industry reports. The influx of retail brands and high-end logistics has also brightened the prospects for the closely associated insulation industry and for fasteners, an unsung hero for playing a key role in determining the longevity and efficacy of roofing and cladding.

CW explores a few material options in these segments, including a couple –aluminium and high-pressure laminate – that can stand alone as a façade.

Case: Natural stone wall cladding combines functionality and aesthetics

Building: A private holiday home designed by reD Architects, Mumbai

ocation: Alibaug, Maharashtra

Size: 12,000 sq ft (where the material was used)

Product: Asian Stones’ smoky-grey ledgestone with 90° corners

Approximate cost: Rs 200 per sq ft (including tax)

Swing factor/s: The unique 90° stone corners provided a full stone wall look, ensuring seamless wall edges, contrary to a stone-clad appearance, explains Beekay Jhaver, Founder, Asian Stones. “The client saw this solution as a beautifying, environment-friendly, durable and economical way to embrace nature in the living space. Stone cladding brings strong character to the walls, a sense of grandeur and can withstand extreme weather conditions. Natural stone has sound protection as well as insulation properties. It rarely fades, even after long-term exposure to sunlight, hence it is maintenance-free and very durable.” Further, Asian Stones’ natural stone wall claddings come packed to facilitate easy installation by a mason, not to take away from any creativity they may want to employ!

Challenges: “Natural stone rarely needs to be protected by sealants in outdoor applications, which is easy to do and inexpensive as a percentage of the cost,” shares Jhaver. “To some extent, this depends on the climatic conditions of the project location. However, in this installation, as smoky grey is a dense natural stone, it didn’t need to be treated.”

Case: Sunshade from environment-friendly wood polymer composite louvers

Building: Tata Croma

Location: Chennai

Size: 8,000 sq ft

Product: Straton Composites wood polymer composite sunshade louvers

Approximate cost: Rs 900 per sq ft exclusive of GST

Swing factor/s: The architect wanted a new-age material different from conventional aluminium and mild steel products providing a similar screening effect to the building, shares Ankit Mohata, Managing Director, Straton Group. “Our ability to craft and use high-quality materials for a structure in a way that conveys the customer’s sentiments and projects new ideas went in our favour. With time, new-age design enthusiasts have come to appreciate engineered high-performance composite materials that simultaneously balance utility, functionality and aesthetics.”

Challenges: “Being process-oriented in terms of estimating the product quantity, detailing the fixing and especially the substructure, and studying the long-term impact of several weathering elements on the wear and tear of the façade helps overcome any likely challenges,” shares Mohata. “Also, having a skilled workforce goes a long way in manifesting the design intent (as close as possible) and preserving the longevity of the installed system.”

Case: A green roof is a place to retreat to

Building: A private residence, a sea-touching bungalow (G+1)

Location: Juhu, Mumbai

Size: ~ 800 sq ft (green roof)

Product/s: Versicell from Elmich, Singapore (facilitating drainage for the green roof), Versiweb from Elmich, Singapore (facilitating planting media retention for sloped roofs) and Eco Mat from Hunter, USA (facilitating sustainable subsurface irrigation with minimum water loss)

Approximate cost: Rs 500 to 1,500 (or even higher) per sq ft

Swing factor/s: “VertVista is the authorised India representative of Elmich Pte Ltd. Our customised solution package covering both landscaping and specialised landscape engineering products, for such a high slope gradient green roof in close proximity to the sea, helped the client choose VertVista,” says Nishant Mehta, Director, Vertvista Eco Solutions.

Challenges: “Engineering a solution for a green roof with a high slope gradient was challenging; we needed to devise a solution that would prevent soil erosion,” adds Mehta. “Being in very close proximity to the sea needed the correct species of lawn and planting media; not every species can sustain the high level of salt content in the air or the very high wind velocity that makes a regular sprinkler irrigation system redundant. We chose an automated subsurface irrigation system that would work on a sloped roof.”

Case: Textile cladding keeps a building cool

Building: PSG College of Technology

Location: Coimbatore

Size: 2,500 sq m (fabric covered area)

Product: Serge Ferrari Frontside View FT381

Approximate cost: Rs 800 sq ft (only the fabric)

Swing factor/s: “The strength, durability, light weight and aesthetics of the material,” responds Arun Madappallath, General Manager, Serge Ferrari India. “Also, Frontside View FT381 blocks up to 80 per cent of the sun’s heat without taking away from the visibility.”

Challenges: “Initially, the client thought of using high-pressure laminate but switched to fabric to avail of the advantages; still, designing the facade was challenging and inclement weather, COVID outbreaks and labour shortages hampering site activity were other concerns to surmount,’’ says Raja Rajan, Director, Duvo Engineering.

Case: Integrated solar roof

Building: Manufacturing facility of Atumobile Pvt Ltd

Location: Patancharu, Hyderabad, Telangana

Size: 136.5 kw capacity installed on a 957.64 sq m roof, 420 Atum panels

Product: Atum solar roof

Rs 26,000 per kw

Swing factors: “Atum is not only made in India but also invented in India,” says Vamsi Krishna Gaddam, Joint Managing Director, Visaka Industries. “It is an integrated solar panel with a cement base that serves all the functions of a traditional roof while generating energy. Atum reduces thermal conductivity better than a traditional roof while enhancing the appearance of the roof. Being an integrated solar roof, it optimises the given space. It generates more power in the same space compared to traditional solar panels. With the promise of net-zero emissions, it gives the customer the greenest form of energy possible, thereby helping the environment.”

Challenges: None, according to Gaddam. “We had a great team that helped put up the project from start to finish. The Government, too, helped us a lot with net metering (connecting to the grid).”

Case: Aluminium is a popular façade material and doubles up as cladding

Building: Research and Innovation Park, Indian Institute of Technology

Location: Delhi

Size: 6,000 sq m (façade area)

Product: Schueco Troptec SC 50 SG. NI.

Approximate cost: Rs 800 to 1,200 per sq ft (system cost only, exclusive of fabrication)

Swing factor/s: “Among modern materials, aluminium is the best and the most popular façade material because it needs no further cladding to complement its aesthetic quotient,” says Jatin Tyagi, Head of Sales North & East, Schueco. “Stone or ACP are other typical cladding materials. Steel is comparatively very heavy and generally used as a structural material as an alternative to concrete, when it becomes the substructure for the façade.”

Challenges: “Using combustible material in a façade is as potentially hazardous as poor installation from a stability point of view,” say Sri Vikash and Kuntal, Partners, Sai Glazing, a fabricator. “If the smoke seals between floors are not done properly or as per norms, smoke and fire can easily spread into the next floor and the whole building can easily go up in flames. The façade and overall building design are critical for safety.”

Case: Pre-engineered multi-storied building redefines attractiveness

Building: An office created as an expansion of a hotel, by EPACK Prefab

Location: Janpath, Delhi

Size: 40,902 sq ft over G+5 floors

Product: Pre-engineered steel construction, heavy-duty fibre cement boards and light-gauge steel frame technology

Approximate cost: Rs 3,500-3,800 per sq ft

Swing factor/s: TheSwing factor/s: The client wanted the building to be constructed fast, at a reasonable cost without compromising on quality, shares Nikhil Bothra, Managing Director, EPACK Prefab. “A pre-engineered building was the solution. The client turned to us because we’re not just a manufacturer but also a prefab technology integrator. We integrated the pre-engineered main loadbearing steel structure with walls and internal partitions made of light-gauge steel frames, insulated with Rockwool insulation, and floors in galvanised decking sheet and RCC. The external facade was in heavy-duty fibre cement board. The entire building has a two-hour fire rating.”

Challenges: Transportation of materials and erecting a multi-storied building in a very confined space caused some minor hiccups, according to Bothra. “Meeting the timeline despite COVID-19 lockdowns and a pollution-triggered ban on construction in the NCR caused more challenges. The fact that our product is environment-friendly and creates minimum dust/pollution made the execution smooth and speedy.”

Case: High-pressure laminate panels help create a sense of fluidity

Building: Orbit IT

Location: Mohali, Punjab

Size: Site 83’6” × 215’, building footprint 50’ × 175’

Product: Fundermax Max Exterior Décor 0085, a duromer high-pressure laminate

Approximate cost: Rs 750 per sq ft onwards (including tax)

Swing factor/s: The building’s 83’6” front elevation has two huge unsupported volumes projecting out. One is a three-storey high office block that looks like it is floating in air. This is balanced by a 25’ × 25’ wide cantilevered RCC and smart glass pergola, also three storeys high and free-floating. It was essential that the panels encasing the structural systems supporting these floating masses would not add any undesirable deadweight. “We opted for Fundermax panels for being lightweight and versatile, and offering value for money,” says Architect Mohita Garg Vashisht, Partner & Design Head, Creative Consortium. Sustainability was another key requirement, which was suitably addressed by the solution. “Our chosen façade elements – glazing, Fundermax solid panels and aluminium louvers – work together to reduce the heat gain of the building while maintaining the natural daylight and outdoor views.”

Challenges: Creating form on a linear rectangular site was particularly challenging, says Vashisht. “Our client Orbit wanted a futuristic design that breaks free from the usual matchbox approach for a rectangular plot. The desired effect was to attract premium IT companies, the potential occupants.” And Ashwani Khanna, Vice President - Marketing & HR, Fundermax, explains, “Creative Consortium Architects met the client’s demand for futuristic form rooted in function and flexibility by opting for a grid-like design for the building, where each of the six 25’ × 25’ components would easily accommodate several typically 5’ × 5’ IT workstations and/or 10’ wide cabins, and in the underground parking, three parking bays.”

Case: Wall insulation that conserves energy

Building: IKEA

Location: Bengaluru

Size: 14,000 sq m

Product: Lloyd airtight, watertight prefabricated insulated sandwich panels with 0.5 mm slightly ribbed colour-coated metal facing on both sides

Approximate cost: Rs 3,300 per sq m for the 100-mm polyisocyanurate (PIR) panels (execution charges extra)

Swing factor/s: “A core of PIR foam insulation helps conserve energy and makes the building thermally efficient, especially important for large air-conditioned areas like the IKEA store,” says Tukaram Shivaji Devkar, Senior Executive, Technical Department, Lloyd Insulations (India). “PIR is a chlorofluorocarbon and hydrochlorofluorocarbon-free material conforming to Indian and international standards. The panels are structurally robust, ready to install and has joints designed to conceal the fasteners used to fix the panels. This is why the system is also called a ‘secret fastener’ or ‘hidden fastener’ system. The panel facing is polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) colour-coated galvalume steel or galvanised steel with the option of any RAL colours, making for excellent aesthetics.”

Challenges:  The sandwich panels were executed vertically for this project, explains Devkar. “Each panel is approximately 14 m long and 1 m wide. Handling such long panels for a vertical installation was challenging.” Cut-outs in the panels where the glass would be fitted needed careful joint detailing at the design stage and execution through skilled labour teams to avoid any kind of future water leakages, he adds.

Case: Self-drilling screws fasten a roof securely for the long term

Building: A building housing a tyre factory

Location: Sri City, Andhra Pradesh

Size: 30,000 sq m

Product: Roofix self-drilling screws

Approximate cost: Rs 30 per sq m

Swing factor/s: The client wanted to ensure the longevity of the structure and avoid expensive repairs and corrosion on metal sheets, explains Hitesh Parmar, General Manager, Realm Intermediates, the maker of Roofix fasteners. “Customers tend to spend on expensive roofing sheets and then use poor quality screws that reduce the longevity of the product. Self-drilling screws are the only links that secure the roof (metal envelope) to the structure and it makes sense to have self-drilling screws of the best quality. Self-drilling screws can drill themselves into the metal roofing, which saves the time and effort involved in pre-drilling for ordinary screws. Roofix screws are coated with a three-layer, rust-shield coating.”

Challenges: Convincing the customer to pay a little extra for an advanced product that would last in the long term was a challenge, adds Parmar. The alternative product normally used is a zinc-coated fastener that costs about Rs 15-20 per sq m.