A-Z of Self Build Guides New & Future Cladding Materials

Date Published:

02/06/2008

Think cladding and most people conjure up images of wood, which of course was one of the big features on the Peterborough Grand Design. Woods look good and weather well but are a little predictable. The future of cladding looks set to provide us with far more diverse ways of enveloping our buildings.

Flamboyant cladding is the closest that buildings ever get to designer clothing. Architects are starting to experiment with new building materials, usually reserved for commercial buildings. It's a trend that's already massive in continental Europe and its trickling across the channel in an ever-increasing stream. Embracing commercial cladding is just one example of a wider switch towards accepting commercial building techniques on residential projects, a trend exemplified by the hyper-industrial Bristol Modernist Sugar Cube Grand Design.

One such commercial, innovative cladding material is Corian. Best known for transforming kitchen and bathroom design, countertop Corian is working its way onto the outsides of our buildings. This brand new hotel in Bordeaux has just been clad from top to bottom in panels of the stuff. It's not cheap - the architects have created a sleek, white, £3.5million ice cube.

£300 per square metre might seem steep, but this incredibly durable material will last a lifetime, and is likely to be seen on a building near you in the not-too-distant future.