Installing and replacing exterior building tiles at any point in the façade is possible thanks to a novel installation method developed by Ibstock Brick Ltd, based in Leicester, UK.

The technique, part of the Elementix rainscreen cladding system, uses steel connectors to attach individual tiles to a support system by clipping them into position without the need for mechanical fastenings.

‘The procedure is flexible,’ says Andy Batterham, Project Manager at Ibstock. ‘Tiles can be installed in an order to suit the construction programme, working from either top to bottom, left to right or vice versa.’

Broken tiles can also be easily replaced. ‘With traditional rainscreen systems you have to remove a whole vertical or horizontal run of tiles to get to the broken one,’ explains Batterham. ‘But with Elementix, if a tile is damaged, you simply break the tile in question, remove the pieces and clip another one in its place.’

The system is constructed using an aluminium bracket that is fixed to a backing structure, typically made from a concrete frame or existing brickwork. The bracket is then fitted to powder coated aluminium vertical joint profiles which match the colour of the tile. These are then fixed to steel connectors that hold the tiles in place.

Further information:

Ibstock