Lighter Weight

NeaCera®…LIGHTER WEIGHT – not a lightweight!

Light? This Panel weighs only 50 lbs!

Why is NeaCera® a Lighter Weight system than the hollow-core systems?

To address any pre-conceived ideas or misconceptions, NeaCera® is Lighter Weight, but most definitely not a lightweight system.

The 16″ x 64″ NeaCera® panel shown to the left weighs only 50 lbs!

Our largest panel, which measures 24″ x 6’6″, weighs only 99 lbs!

Less Weight Means Easy Installation!

Additional weight adds additional costs to all aspects of a terracotta rainscreen system:

  • The heavier the panels – the more raw material required per SF.
  • The heavier the panels – the less SF can be loaded into shipping containers.
  • The heavier the panels – the greater the freight/shipping costs.
  • The heavier the panels – the more substantial the sub-construction and framing required.
  • The heavier the panels – less SF can be loaded into boom lifts etc during installation.
  • The heavier the panels – less productivity during install.

NeaCera® Panels are quickly and easily installed onto aluminum Support Profiles with Joint Inserts, assuring consistent and uniform vertical and horizontal alignment. Altogether Panels and Profiles weigh less than 7.5 lbs. per square foot! This substantial weight reduction as compared to competing terracotta systems weighing 12-15 lbs. results in a considerable savings when designing and building with NeaCera®.

Less Weight = More Productivity!
Do you know ANY tradesman who would choose to carry TWO 4' panels?

While our heavy hollow-core competitors are working to catch up, NeaCera® – the Lighter Weight system – goes from strength to strength.

And speaking of strength, NeaCera® gets its strength from density and it is the density of its composition and high-temperature curing that allows us to make it Lighter Weight.

A NeaCera® Terra-cotta rainscreen installation using our 26-mm panel weighs only 7.5-lbs/sf. Compare this to the 2nd generation hollow-core systems which weigh in at 12-15-lbs/sf. More weight = more cost!

Here are some additional points to consider:

  • Not all terracotta panels are created equal!
  • NeaCera® Terra-cotta Panels are easier to lift than the traditional hollow- core panels.
  • Reducing structural requirements also reduces foundation & spandrel beams/stud wall requirements. This means increased productivity on every installation.
  • INSTALL/WEIGHT

– NeaCera® at 7.2 PSF = 5.5 SF
– Hollow-core at 11 PSF = 3.7 SF
– Hollow-core at 14 PSF = 2.9 SF

Earlier generations of terracotta cladding adopted the traditional masonry configuration of hollow core masonry only suitable for load-bearing applications. However, if you were to go about engineering and developing a suitable rainscreen cladding system for commercial buildings from scratch, you would not choose a hollow-core design but a lighter weight solid wall section that is more efficient to produce, transport and install – all resulting in low cost without sacrificing quality. That is NeaCera®!