Rainscreen Principle

A rainscreen or ventilated façade is a two stage construction – the inner structure with a protected outer skin.  By placing the insulation on the outside of the structure, the exterior cladding protects the structure against the elements.  The system includes a cavity where exterior thermal insulation is fixed to the substructure and also allows for an adequate circulation of rising air - chimney stack effect .

Ventilated facades protect the building against weather but also offer remarkable advantages in terms of thermal insulation and energy efficiency.  Rainscreen facades prevent thermal bridges, they help resist moisture and humidity, they prevent internal condensation and reduce thermal movement of the structure.

Fischer’s FZP II Undercut Anchor and Subframe

The ACT System offers architects and specifiers an innovative, high quality, single source for rainscreen ventilated claddings.  The system extends your design options  and perfectly combines the use of the FZP stress free undercut anchors, the individual subframes and sophisticated drilling technology.  The use of the system pays off on the construction site where installation is fast and simple and higher productivity is achieved.

The stress free undercut anchor is installed in pre-drilled undercut holes.  The undercut technology offers several times higher ultimate loads than conventional fixings.  Because the anchor positioning can be optimized, the bending moment within the panel is reduced by about 50% when compared to traditional systems.  This allows reduced panel thickness and larger panel sizes.  In addition, the varied panel thicknesses can be compensated by the use of stand off anchors.