Hi-Macs solid surfaces company LG Hausys has expanded its products for exteriors with a new range called Exteria. 

Following the Grenfell Tower fire in London developers and planners have become nervous about what they use to clad buildings, so Hausys has reformulated a range of its solid surfaces especially for façades and had them tested to the French QB certification and CSTB (Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment) ATec Avis Technique for façade applications.

Hi-Macs has been used on façades in various parts of the world. The Leonardo Glasscube in Germany and Beneteau's headquarters in France are clad in it, for example. Relief milled surfaces creating walls with company logos integrated into the surface have been combined with spectacular lighting effects and curvy designs. And every good design inspires even greater designs. 

But hard surfaces are basically resin and resin is basically plastic. And since Grenfell there has been a certain reticence about cladding buildings in such materials. Hence the creation of Hi-Macs Exteria.

The new product range includes Hi-Macs-FR, which has offered increased fire resistance for many years and lays claim to being the first solid surface formulation to receive the ETA certification for public building façades.

Now, though, a formulation Hausys says is even better is available in Hi-Macs S828. The new formulation gives it greater UV resistance to bleaching when the façade is exposed to direct sunlight.

The CSTB certification requires a thorough and demanding two-year process that involves assessments on 25 criteria, assessing a product’s performance against severe wind pressure, fire, earthquakes, external impact / shock, and other scenarios that can potentially compromise the durability of components. It examines how each product is manufactured and installed to make sure they meet the French standard for construction materials.

Hi-Macs Exteria scored particularly well in terms of design, installation technology, reliability and quality. Cladding products have to be durable, weatherproof and fire safe. Hi-Macs was able to earn the CSTB certificate due in large part to the prodcut's ability to tick all the boxes in those areas.

Below. The Bieblova in Prague, in the Czech Republic, designed by P6PA+Architects, with its 12mm Hi-Macs Alpine White façade. Photo: ©Miguel Alo