Cladding and roofing
PVC cladding (facing for buildings) is designed as a long life application requiring little maintenance. Its durability, high thermal insulation and excellent weathering performance with good resistance to ultraviolet (UV) light and ozone make this type of cladding capable of remaining in place for many years. Plasticisers (US: plasticizers) are also used to make flexible PVC roofing membranes which are often reinforced with fiberglass or polyester to provide energy-efficient roofing solutions. Flexible PVC membranes can also be used in waterproofing applications for roofing.
square meters of flexible PVC foil - Stade de france, paris
Examples of such use include Le Stade de France in Paris, which hosts some of the country’s major sporting and musical events every year. This 80,000 capacity stadium is completely covered by a flexible PVC roof (56000m2 of flexible PVC foil) which can be moved to transform it from a football/rugby setting to an athletics format or a concert arena through a system of receding tiers. The PVC roof overhangs the outer walls giving shelter to spectators waiting outside.
Another example is one of the world’s biggest free-standing halls located in Brand in Germany, which was built to house a new commercial airship and has later been transformed into a leisure centre. The 107 metres high and 360 metres long structure, large enough to house the Eiffel Tower on its side, has a roof made from curved steel girders covered with a soft PVC membrane.
Click the images on the right to download our factsheets related to “PVC in Sports” and “Vinyl in European Stadiums”.