Commercial-to-Residential Conversion: Rainscreen Recladding

A client bought a commercial building to convert into apartments. TCR’s survey of the existing cladding found a serious fire risk: the walls were clad in insulated panels with combustible polyurethane foam cores, and there were no fire barriers in the wall cavities. The facade did not meet current fire safety rules and had to be replaced in full before anyone could live in the apartments.

• Substrate: high-density concrete block, with mechanically fixed supports.
• Steel framing: light-gauge steel framing where the existing facade had to be brought back into line and to carry the cladding support.
• Carrier: an adjustable rail system that suits uneven walls and installs quickly.
• Insulation: about 4¾ in of non-combustible mineral wool rainscreen slabs, which also dampen sound.
• Cavity: a 1 in ventilated air gap behind the panels.
• Fire barriers: open-state cavity barriers rated for 120 minutes, placed in the vertical and horizontal cavities to divide the wall into compartments.
• Panels: James Hardie fiber-cement panels with a limited-combustibility fire rating, fixed with stainless steel fasteners color-matched to the panels.

The combustible facade was replaced with fire-safe materials, with quality records for every component, and the work was delivered within budget despite a tight timeline and a demanding approval process. The client valued having one contractor handle both the fire safety detail and the architectural finish, from survey to sign-off.