Introducing BENCHMARK Kreate, a groundbreaking new metal cassette façade system that is fully integrated with an insulated panel, that offers architects unprecedented design freedom.
BENCHMARK Kreate is the first and only system of its type on the market, successfully blending superior insulated performance with limitless possibilities for architects to let their imaginations run free in the buildings they design.
The unique seamless, single-component cassette façade system allows architects to combine colours, finishes and arrangements in an almost infinite variety of ways. Individual cassettes, each with their own size, colour or finish as desired, are cleverly integrated into a single insulated panel. This puts an end to the age-old compromise between performance and aesthetics; satisfying both in equal measure.
Architects can choose from an extensive array of colours, panel lengths, widths, core thicknesses, cassette sizes and arrangements for their project. Each individual cassette on the same BENCHMARK Kreate panel can be of a different size as well as finished in a different post-powder coating in any BS or RAL colour. This paves the way for creative multi-coloured, multi-textured façades to brighten up offices, customise commercial buildings, or even add a splash of inspiration to schools and hospitals.
Unlike the angular corners found on traditional cassettes, BENCHMARK Kreate cassettes have been engineered with rounded corners. These provide a smooth, contoured finish and give each façade a fresh and contemporary appearance. In addition to this, the joints between each panel are fitted with a factory-applied seal to ensure an airtight fit with leakage of less than 5m3/hr/m2.
Along with its design flexibility, BENCHMARK Kreate offers all the advantages of an insulated panel system, which include ease and speed of build and exceptional lifetime performance for durability, fire prevention, sustainability, thermal integrity and thermal insulation, all backed up by the BENCHMARK Total Guarantee.
Traditional building envelope products feature multiple components, which take a long time to install and have multiple potential points of failure. BENCHMARK Kreate is a single-component panel that can be supplied and delivered by just one company. It can be quickly and easily installed with the aid of mechanical lifting equipment in one step; meaning buildings are weather-tight sooner and overall project times are significantly reduced. There is also a reduced risk of accidents as less time is spent working at height.
BENCHMARK Kreate isn’t just a safer and more aesthetically flexible product, it also offers the same high performance standards architects have come to expect from the BENCHMARK products. Depending on individual specification, it can achieve u-values as low as 0.13 W/m2K, while the product itself is ECOsafe with a polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation core that contains no CFC’s or HCFC’s.
The system also complies with current building regulations, and has been tested and FIREsafe approved by the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB); an essential consideration for building owners and investors. At the end of the building’s life, all components in the system can be fully recycled.
“The ‘perfect’ façade solution is hard to come by” explains Fraser Brown, Sales Director at BENCHMARK. “Investors want products that deliver strong ROI, contractors want products that are quick and easy to install, and architects want products that let them create new and exciting designs. It’s not easy to tick all of these boxes, but with the launch of BENCHMARK Kreate, we think we’ve done it. Now architects have complete freedom to design cassette façades in any way they like, while the product offers the performance and easy-install that keeps investors and contractors delighted. It’s a real game changer, and we’re looking forward to seeing how our customers use BENCHMARK Kreate to change the face of our buildings forever.”
All BENCHMARK Kreate Integrated Façade Systems are supplied with the BENCHMARK Total Guarantee. This ensures the structural and thermal performance of the unit for up to 25 years.
