the.com/cladding
A building's raincoat that, chosen poorly, turns into its gasoline-soaked sweater.
means An outer layer applied to a building's walls for weatherproofing, insulation, or appearance, not load-bearing but far from decorative only.
from From 'clad,' meaning covered or dressed, which traces back to Old English 'clæthian' (to clothe). The metallurgical sense — bonding one metal over another — arrived first in industry; the building-skin sense followed, carrying the same idea of a garment fitted over a structural body.
- purpose
- weatherproofing and looks, not structural support
- grenfell link
- flammable cladding turned 2017 fire catastrophic
- common materials
- aluminium composite, timber, brick slips, zinc
- hidden risk
- the gap behind it can funnel flames upward