Cladding system for buildings

Abstract

A cladding system, intended to exclude water from within a building having a cavity wall structure, includes passive means (a) for minimising any flow of water from the exterior that may reach the interior, and (b) open guides or enclosed channels for diverting such water so that it flows by gravity down the cavity to be drained outwardly. One implementation provides impervious battens modified to have water-diverting sides, and another provides solid slabs including channels connected by drainage cuts along their length to a surface to be drained.

1 . A cladding system for an exterior wall of a building, characterised in that the cladding system provides a combination of physical, passive means within a cavity underneath the cladding of the wall, the means capable of at least partially obstructing the movement of water across the cavity towards an internal, water-susceptible structure of the building, and means capable of at least partially causing the water to flow out of and be expelled from the cavity, thereby protecting the internal, water-susceptible structure from water. 
     
     
         2 . A cladding system as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that the cladding system is comprised of a plurality of elongated, substantially impermeable members herein called battens, each batten having a first surface for receiving an exterior cladding panel and a second, opposed surface for mounting upon the underlying inner structure, the surfaces of the batten being separated by at least one side surface bearing water path diverting means, so that when in use in a substantially vertical orientation, Water drops, films or droplets attempting to pass towards the internal structure are intercepted and encouraged to flow downwards and out from a base of the wall. 
     
     
         3 . A batten for a cladding system as claimed in  claim 2 , characterised in that the water diverting means comprises at least one longitudinal fin, so that when in use the fin acts as a barrier to moisture migrating across the side surface, creating a pocket between the fin and the cladding panel comprises an open channel; thereby creating a path for water flow. 
     
     
         4 . A batten for a cladding system as claimed in  claim 2 , characterised in that the water diverting means comprises at least one longitudinal everted edge. 
     
     
         5 . A batten for a cladding system as claimed in  claim 2 , characterised in that the water diverting means comprises at least one longitudinal inverted valley. 
     
     
         6 . A batten for a cladding system as claimed in  claim 2 , characterised in that the water path-diverting means comprises at least one series of elongated, slanted surface modifications, each surface modification being slanted towards the cladding side at a lower end, so that, when in use, water is guided by the slanted orientation of the surface modification downwards and towards the cladding side of the batten. 
     
     
         7 . A batten for a cladding system as claimed in  claim 6 , characterised in that the or each surface modification comprises an elongated raised dome. 
     
     
         8 . A batten for a cladding system as claimed in  claim 6 , characterised in that the or each surface modification comprises an elongated depression. 
     
     
         9 . A batten for a cladding system as claimed in  claim 6 , characterised in that the or each surface modification comprises an elongated aperture. 
     
     
         10 . A horizontal batten for a cladding system as claimed in  claim 2 , characterised in that the horizontal batten includes at least one longitudinally sloped side so that, when in use, the slope is oriented downwardly and outwardly away from the internal structure so that water is diverted in a direction away from the internal structure and towards a drain. 
     
     
         11 . A horizontal batten for a cladding system as claimed in  claim 10 , characterised in that the horizontal batten includes intermittently spaced passageways at the intersection of the downwardly sloping side and the first surface, to allow moisture to egress past the horizontal batten when in use. 
     
     
         12 . A cladding system as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that the cladding system comprises at least one mass of a water-permeable material, inside which a plurality of parallel, continuous, elongated drainage channels are made. 
     
     
         13 . A cladding system as claimed in  claim 12 , characterised in that the cladding system comprises at least one mess of a material inside which a plurality of parallel, continuous, drainage channels are made; each drainage channel being substantially vertical when in use. 
     
     
         14 . A cladding system as claimed in  claim 12 , characterised in that the cladding system comprises at least one mass of a material inside which a plurality of parallel, continuous, drainage channels are made; each channel being accompanied by a corresponding narrow elongated slit. 
     
     
         15 . A cladding system as claimed in  claim 12 , characterised in that the cladding system uses a plurality of masses as an array of substantially rigid slabs; each slab having a first surface for receiving a cladding sheet, panel, or finishing surface and a second, opposed surface for mounting upon an underlying structure; each slab containing at least two continuous parallel internal channels. 
     
     
         16 . A cladding system as claimed in  claim 12 , characterised in that the cladding system uses a plurality of masses as an array of substantially rigid slabs; each slab having a first surface for receiving a cladding sheet, panel, or finishing surface and a second, opposed surface for mounting upon an underlying structure; each slab containing at least two continuous parallel internal channels, each nearby and connected at least intermittently through a slit to the first surface. 
     
     
         17 . A cladding system as claimed in  claim 12 , characterised in that the plurality of parallel, continuous, drainage channels, when viewed in plan, are configured so that they form at least one series of at least two channels, substantially parallel to the first surface of the cladding sheet. 
     
     
         18 . A cladding system as claimed in  claim 17 , characterised in that the plurality of parallel, continuous drainage channels, when viewed in plan, are configured so that they form at least two series of at least two channels, whereby the channels of one series are offset with, or to, the channels of an adjacent series; so that any imaginary line projected perpendicularly from any point on the first surface, will cross or be intercepted by at least one drainage channel. 
     
     
         19 . A cladding system as claimed in  claim 14 , characterised in that each substantially rigid slab employs capillary action through the slit to draw water from the first surface towards the internal channel, which, when oriented in an at least partially vertical direction, is capable of conveying the water towards a lower end of the channel. 
     
     
         20 . A cladding system as claimed in  claim 14 , characterised in that each substantially rigid slab is provided with an array of slits and corresponding channels emerging on to more than one surface.