Zinc and Copper Facades

The facade is the element that defines the visual identity of a building and the one that mediates the relationship between the inhabited interior and the climatic exterior. Zinc and copper facades offer an architectural answer that combines three qualities usually difficult to reconcile: durability measured in decades, contemporary visual expression and the thermal performance of a ventilated facade.

ZincArt designs and installs metal facades on detached houses, multi-occupancy buildings, public facilities, hotels and restoration works. We work in dialogue with the project team from the detail design stage onwards, ensuring that the cladding solution integrates with the surrounding context and respects the structural constraints of the substrate.

What a ventilated facade is

A ventilated facade is a constructional system of double-skin external cladding, in which the zinc or copper sheet is fixed to a sub-structure spaced away from the main wall by a continuously ventilated cavity. This cavity communicates with the outside at the base and at the top, generating an upward movement of air (the chimney effect) that expels water vapour migrating from the interior and dissipates part of the thermal load received by the surface exposed to the sun.

The constructional benefits are concrete:

• The thermal insulation, housed between the structural substrate and the cavity, stays dry and fully delivers its declared performance.
• Solar radiation reaching the metal cladding is partly dissipated before it reaches the substrate, reducing the summer thermal load.
• Surface condensation cycles that cause stains, mould and delamination on traditional adhered cladding systems are eliminated.

The sub-structure is usually formed of aluminium or stainless steel profiles, sized case by case to resist wind loads and the self-weight of the cladding, with specific detailing at corners, openings and finishes.

Available systems

Depending on the architectural design, the desired expression and the type of substrate, we propose different cladding systems:

• Vertical or horizontal standing seam panel. Continuous bays joined by mechanical seaming, with a regular pattern of lines. It is the most discreet system and the one that best translates material continuity between roof and facade.
• Zinc or copper cassette. A modular three-dimensional panel, folded on its four edges, fixed by concealed clips to horizontal profiles. Allows a rhythm of visible divisions, with various sizes and proportions.
• Snap-lock panel (click system). Pre-formed bays joined by male-female interlocking, with faster installation and a final appearance close to the standing seam.
• Scale tile and mixed compositions. For facades of strong character, modules of different formats are combined on the same surface.

Each system admits variants in terms of effective width, sheet thickness (typically 0.7 mm to 1.0 mm) and joint type. The final definition is set against the project drawings and the budget criteria.

Advantages

Choosing a metal facade in zinc or copper translates into proven gains over the building's service life:

• Energy efficiency. The combination of a ventilated facade with continuous insulation improves the building's thermal behaviour in both seasons.
• Stable appearance with controlled evolution. Pre-weathered zinc keeps its tone from the start, without the visible weathering period of natural materials. Copper, alternatively, offers a predictable colour evolution that is desired as part of the project.
• Minimal maintenance. No periodic painting, chemical washing or surface sealant renewal is required.
• Recyclability. Both zinc and copper are 100% recyclable materials and are widely reused at the end of the building's life.

Materials

We work with raw material from the leading European mills:

• Pre-weathered zinc-titanium in the commercial finishes QUARTZ-ZINC and ANTHRA-ZINC by VMZINC, and in the equivalent ranges from elZinc (advance, graphite) and RHEINZINK (prePATINA blue-grey, graphite-grey).
• Natural zinc, for projects that value the spontaneous chromatic evolution over the first years.
• Pigmented zinc, in tones such as blue, brown, green and red, for facades with strong visual presence.
• Natural and pre-oxidised copper, with a chromatic transition starting from the orange tone and evolving to matt brown and, over decades, to the characteristic green patina.

All sheet is supplied in accordance with EN 988, with the manufacturer's technical data sheet and certificate of origin. Find out more about the materials we use.

Applications

The facade systems we install adapt to a range of building types:

• Detached houses of contemporary architecture, with facades fully clad in zinc or in combination with render, timber and exposed concrete.
• Commercial and service buildings, with specific requirements for modulation, integration of large glazed openings and detailed flashings.
• Restoration, where the metal cladding is applied over a reinforced existing substrate, recovering buildings without altering their original volume.
• Hotel, cultural and sports facilities, where durability and low maintenance are decisive.

Dormers and attics

Dormers are a particular case in which the facade and the roof merge into a single inclined plane. Metal cladding in zinc or copper is the classic answer for this element, ensuring visual continuity between the main roof, the dormers, the attic windows and the chimney finishes. We carry out dormers in standing seam, snap-lock and, when the design demands it, in curved barrel form.

The detailing of dormers requires particular care at the transitions with the roof, on the lateral flashings and at the window openings, with all of these elements fabricated in the workshop in the same material and finish.

Where we work

ZincArt installs facades throughout mainland Portugal. We are regularly active in Lisbon, Porto, Braga, Coimbra, Aveiro, Faro, Leiria and Viseu, with occasional reach to other locations depending on the project.

To see completed work, please consult our portfolio. The facade cladding solution is often coordinated with the roof system — see also zinc and copper roofs.

Quote request

To receive a proposal for your facade, contact ZincArt by phone on 935 610 516, by email at zincart.pt@gmail.com, or via the contact form. We are happy to receive the available project documentation (elevations, construction details, schedule of quantities) for an appropriate technical analysis.