Backing Options
The designer can also select from various backing options. Depending on the manufacturer, these can include aluminum honeycomb, aluminum composite material (ACM), and even glass.
Aluminum honeycomb backing (which we are focusing on in this article), typically ranges from 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. This is the most common type for exterior cladding, bathroom partitions, or areas where high strength is needed.
Honeycomb backing on stone
Another backing option is aluminum composite material (ACM), which is typically used on flooring or areas where a thinner material is required. The backing is just 5/16 inch thick. An ACM-backed stone panel is applied directly to a smooth surface with adhesive, and relies on the substrate for support.
ACM backing
Translucent backing is a glass panel. This is used with certain translucent marbles and onyx; it is generally used for lighted bars, backlit walls, or feature panels and ranges from 1/4 inch to 3/4 inch thick.
Translucent backing
Installation
For most applications, the panels attach with Z-clips, interlocking aluminum channels, or a concealed screw. The Z-clip or channel is attached to the wall, and a matching Z-clip or channel is on the back of the panel. The panels are then simply hung. Joints can be either caulked with a selected sealant or left open in an open-joint rainscreen. Thanks to the lightness of the panels, they can be installed from a variety of platforms, including scaffolding, boom lifts, scissor lifts, or swing stage scaffolding.
Interlocking channel attachment, used to attach panels to the substrate
Technical Specifications and Performance
When choosing a stone veneer on aluminum honeycomb panel, specifiers should look for a product that has been ASTM tested and where the panels meet or exceed the testing.
Panel installation techniques are designed to improve the safety, durability, and long-term performance. As noted, typical installation for these types of panels is usually with a Z-clip, interlocking channel, or concealed screw. With the Z-clips, they lock into place on a substrate, which locks them into place easily. With the concealed screw, they are screwed to the substrate.
Z-clip attachment, used to attach panels to the substrate
CASE STUDY
Lightweight Marble Cladding for a Performance Center
Project: Chipola College Center for the Arts
Architect: DAG Architects
The Chipola Center for the Arts at Chipola College in Marianna, Florida, is a $16 million-project that began construction in July of 2010. The facility, with 56,000 square feet of space, is a work of art itself. State-of-the-art equipment and an incredible, unique theater design make the Chipola Center for the Arts one of a kind. The theater has been a dream of Chipola’s Fine and Performing Arts Department for many years, and a lot of thought and time was put into its design and construction.
When looking for marble cladding for the main theater’s entrance, DAG Architecture turned to a manufacturer of natural stone veneer panels. This gave them several advantages:
- The marble-faced panels add the elegance of natural stone to the interior spaces.
- Installation of the panels is much quicker and easier than that of heavy stone slabs.
- Stone on aluminum honeycomb is naturally durable.
Quality and Aesthetics
The Center for the Arts used only the highest-quality lighting and acoustical equipment, and the building was constructed with the finest available materials. The panel manufacturer provided the Chipola Center for the Arts with the stunning marble cladding that surrounds the entrance to the main theater. The exquisite design for the entrance balances traditional architecture with a modern feel. The marble wall panels easily flow with the architecture and radiate a beauty only natural stone can provide
Lightweight
Stone veneer on aluminum honeycomb backed panels are a fraction of the weight of solid stone. The manufacturer cut the stone down to 1/4 inch thick and attached it to a very lightweight honeycomb backing. The light weight of the product allows for the panels to be installed virtually anywhere.
Simple Installation
The installation of the panels at the Center for the Arts was swift and simple. There was no drilling or epoxy required. The aluminum honeycomb backed panels were attached using Z-clips. The installers simply screwed the Z-clips onto the panels as needed. This allowed the installers to painlessly lift and hang the panels into place.
Durability and Severe Weather
As the strength of stone on aluminum panels varies by manufacturer, it is important to verify the testing that a manufacturer has completed and the projects they have completed. Some manufacturers’ panels have been tested for large missile impact, freeze-thaw cycles, and high-wind events. An example of real-world testing includes the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, where the stone on aluminum honeycomb panels have been through several hurricanes, some of which were Category 5, without damage.
Stone veneer on aluminum honeycomb panels can be used in either a rainscreen or barrier-type wall system. The aluminum layer makes the panels impervious to water or air infiltration. Pictured here is the Cove at Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas.
Performance and Testing Methods
The following tables show typical testing methods.
Safety
When used on the exterior, due to their lightweight, stone veneer on aluminum honeycomb panels can reduce field injury. Unlike heavy, full-thickness stone, it can be installed more easily and with less risk.
When the common stone cladding system (13/4-inch to 3-inch-thick slabs or panels of granite or marble with stainless steel anchors) is used for high-rise buildings, the stone wall system can pose a safety hazard if fire breeches the building’s exterior envelope. While the stone panels will not burn, the unreinforced stone can shatter or crack when exposed to the intense heat from a fire. This is compounded by thermal shock when firefighters spray cool water on the super-heated stone and it shatters. Since the attachment is only at the stone kerfs, the cracked stone can fall from the building, threatening the lives of people caught in the path of the heavy, falling stone.
Stone veneer on aluminum honeycomb panels are noncombustible. In the case of a fire, the panels are less likely to shatter. Instead, the stone flakes away only as small stone chips. This is much safer for emergency personnel as well as civilians around the area.
Sustainability and Energy Use Reduction with Stone Veneer on Aluminum Honeycomb Panels
The unique characteristics of stone veneer on aluminum honeycomb panels can help architects meet green building goals in a number of ways. Depending on the manufacturer, the product may help your project reduce energy usage and qualify for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits. Following is a brief summary of potential benefits.
LEED and Sustainability
Generally speaking, stone veneer on aluminum honeycomb panels:
- Reduce the amount of natural stone required
- May contain recycled aluminum content
- Improve resistance to thermal transfer
Contributions to LEED points and sustainable building design. Stone veneer on aluminum honeycomb panels can play a role in attaining LEED certification, offering durability, reduced energy use, better insulation of wall systems, space savings, an opportunity to provide healthy, comfortable, and attractive spaces, as well as savings of transportation costs when compared with traditional stone cladding systems and when compared to other building materials.
These desirable characteristics meet many of the requirements and goals of sustainable building design, including contribution to points in a number of LEED categories, including Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation & Design.
Conclusion
As we’ve seen, stone veneer on aluminum honeycomb panel is a unique product in the architectural wall cladding industry. Proven to perform by major U.S. and international testing agencies, this product provides the beauty of authentic natural stone, such as granite, marble, travertine, and limestone, with lightweight aircraft-quality epoxy honeycomb reinforcing. The result is a product that in many ways is superior to solid dimensional stone in terms of weight, stability, impermeability to water penetration, and flexural bending and impact resistance.
Robyn M. Feller is a freelance writer and editor specializing in the architecture, design, and construction industry. www.linkedin.com/in/robynfeller
