Timber Fin Cladding for Car Parks

An easy way to soften intrusive structures like car parks, timber fin cladding adds dynamism, fluidity and interest to any façade. As a curtain wall or cover for slab sides, fin cladding can break up the silhouette of large elevations and help the building blend more effectively with its surroundings.

NORclad have been supplying specialist timber products for over 40 years. We know the benefits of wooden cladding and are passionate about championing its use in a wide range of buildings. Whether a structural or purely visual element, timber cladding will add a subtle, sustainable touch to your design.

In this article, we discuss timber fin cladding in more detail and suggest why you should consider it as a way of integrating your car park project with its environment.

What is Timber Fin Cladding?

Timber fin cladding comprises of various thin timber cladding panels fitted to facades, usually with gaps in between. Essentially, where timber cladding is normally applied flat onto a wall, fins are perpendicular. Fins can be fitted horizontally – or even diagonally – but are usually applied vertically.

The effect of timber fin cladding is subtle and less imposing than traditional timber cladding profiles. Due to the gaps between the panels, fin cladding is popular for applications in which the base material is ideally still visible. This is also useful for allowing natural light into a building without compromising looks, by applying timber tins on the exterior of windows – just like in this case study of Thistle.

View examples of timber fin cladding on the Bristol Bears Training Facility, the Market Rasen Leisure Centre, the Ebbw Vale car park, and Glenside Campus UWE case studies.

What are the Advantages of Timber Fin Cladding for Car Parks?

Softens Building

Though necessary to our modern lives, car parks are generally enormous buildings that are not built with aesthetics at the top of the priority list. Finding effective, sustainable ways of tempering their appearance is important in order to create pleasant public spaces. Timber fin cladding can be used to create subtle layering effects and naturalise unattractive, purely functional structures with their surroundings. Installing timber fins as a façade or curtain wall helps to shatter large elevations of concrete that might otherwise dominate a space.

To see how sections of timber cladding can soften a car park, check out our Tesco HQ case study.

Visually Stunning

Timber fins don’t just obscure unsightly structures; they are also eye-catching design features in their own right. Whether installed vertically or horizontally, the angle the car park is viewed from will alter the appearance of the cladding. As well as this, the balance of light and shade will shift throughout the day, resulting in a dynamic and ever-changing design.

Check out our case study of Southmead Hospital, where timber fins were used as a contemporary design feature, allowing a large car park structure more coexistence with its surroundings.

See more: How to Design and Create a World Class Façade >

Flexible Design Opportunities

One of the key benefits of timber fin cladding is that it can be implemented in a variety of ways subject to your requirements. Whether incorporated into a completely new development project or used to refurbish an existing structure, timber fin cladding is well-suited to a whole host of building types and project stages.

Likewise, this type of cladding is highly modifiable and can be used to generate totally unique designs. Depending on the way they are cut, the thickness and the spacing of the fins, the whole character of a building be adjusted.

Eco-Friendly Solution

Using timber fin cladding for a car park façade is a great way of mitigating some of the unavoidable environmental impacts of such a building. Cladding is a good insulator and can absorb some of the noise pollution created by the many vehicles using the space. On top of this, wood stores carbon dioxide, has a host of proven benefits for mental and emotional health, and is totally biodegradable.

The sustainability of wood is just one of the many reasons we think timber is the best building material around. All of our wood comes FSC or PEFC chain of custody verified from countries with strict environmental legislation and replanting laws. If you need some cladding clarity, our team of experts are on hand to talk through your project and find the right solution for you – so get in touch!

See more: Eco-Friendly Cladding Guide – Everything You Need To Know >

Filters Light

Timber fin cladding is often incorporated into a building as a ‘brise soleil’ or sun breaker which blocks harsh sunlight whilst still allowing good amounts of natural light into the building. This is useful for multi-story car park design as it is important to allow light to permeate into the spaces within whilst minimising distracting glare and prevent parked cars from overheating.

Lightweight Material

Timber cladding is less cumbersome than other building materials and much easier to install. Often, it doesn’t require specialist equipment, and this helps keeps your costs down too. Using fin cladding as an exterior façade is a simple, cost-effective way to totally transform a car park’s look and feel.

Take a look at how European Redwood timber fins have been implemented at Southampton Hospital to break up the solidity of the structure.

Contemporary Cladding Solutions UK

Fin cladding is just one of ways timber can be incorporated into your building design – it’s an extremely versatile material and we can’t get enough of it. From car parks to supermarkets, home-builds to fire stations, NORclad have delivered high-quality timber for a host of different projects across the country.

If you’re ready to specify, fill in this form and one of our friendly team members will get back to you soon. Otherwise, you can contact us directly for advice by clicking here.