Resistant to weather influences even in the heart of the Dolomites

In the heart of the Dolomites, harsh weather conditions have prevailed since ancient times. The village of Messensee, located above the road in the Puster Valley, was flooded and completely destroyed according to preserved records in the 12th century. Due to the challenging climatic conditions here, the builder must know how to protect the structure against them.

Absolute Safety
When building the house, the builder relied on the FX.12 roofing and facade panel from PREFA Aluminiumprodukte. Ing. Karl Josef Mair from the executing construction company Frey clarifies: “Given that the house has no roof overhang and is even more exposed to the weather, the optimal solution was to continuously use the FX.12 panels. The roof and facade form one functional unit and thus effectively protect the house from all weather conditions.” In a ventilated facade, a constant airflow occurs in the ventilation space between the load-bearing structure and the facade cladding. This has the advantage that the flowing air removes any moisture from the load-bearing structure, keeping it dry, and also insulates the house and dissipates heat at high temperatures. “Therefore, the house is protected from cold in winter and from heat in summer.” adds Mair.

Easy and Quick Installation
No other material has as many advantages as aluminum: it is unbreakable, rust-resistant, exceptionally strong, yet lightweight and easily moldable with minimal effort. Thanks to the thoughtful connection details and individually selectable offset of the FX.12 panels, their installation is very quick. “Our products meet not only all functional and safety requirements but also significantly facilitate the work for roofers,” says PREFA expert advisor Johann Kummer. “That is also why we are proud to offer the FX.12 panel as a perfect product with easy and quick installation.”


 
Installation Directly on Full Formwork
Roofer Roland Maurer confirms this: “An important advantage of PREFA products is the method of their attachment. With the additional hem on the top side, the FX.12 panel can be installed through the prepared holes directly onto the load-bearing structure, or – as with the building in Massensee – directly onto full formwork. Therefore, the installation of FX.12 panels is easy and precise for the specialist.” In addition to unique installation, these products are characterized by their durability, long lifespan, and variety of colors. This offers interesting optical possibilities particularly for modern buildings in rural areas.

Technical Details
The conical edge groove represents another specialty of the FX.12 roofing and facade panel according to PREFA expert advisor Johann Krummer. It offers optimal protection against driving rain and moisture, allows transverse expansion, and improves self-cleaning by washing away dirt from the groove. The FX.12 panel is available in 2 formats: 1400 x 420 mm and 700 x 420 mm. To achieve an individual appearance of the overall surface, vertical grooves should not be aligned directly above each other. When laying the FX.12 as roofing material, it is necessary to maintain a minimum offset of 220 mm. The minimum required roof slope is 17°.

Laying starts at the eaves edge and proceeds from right to left. The PREFA underlay strip is attached using nails according to the string line. All punched holes for nails must be absolutely nailed. Only then can the roofing elements be attached. Longer serrated PREFA nails are used for the installation of panels. In terms of maintaining a consistently similar color shade over time, only painted PREFA sheets should be used for sheeting or connecting roofing and facade elements. The correct accessories are also important – therefore, PREFA offers its customers a wide range of roofing and facade accessories.

Individual Appearance Thanks to Irregular Breaks
On sunny days in East Tyrol, the FX.12 panels exhibit a very specific effect: due to the irregular breaks and depending on the angle of sunlight, they offer a different face each time, giving the building an impressive, variable appearance. Even during production, it is ensured that each individual FX.12 panel is unique. The slight surface breaks are always different, making it possible to achieve a characteristic asymmetrical appearance even on large surfaces. This creates a unique and fascinating play of light and shadows. Irregular breaks serve not only an aesthetic purpose but also a functional one: the panels are additionally reinforced. This means that at the same material thickness, the FX.12 panels have greater stiffness compared to smooth sheets.



Building Information:
Architect: Bauunternehmung Dipl.-Ing. Walter Frey GmbH
Material: FX.12 facade panel/ PREFALZ
Color: light gray P.10
Installation Company: Roland Maurer, Silian