At Cladding Concepts, in partnership with Belden Tri-State, we're proud to be a part of innovative architectural projects that shape skylines and communities. Today, we'd like to highlight our involvement in The Maven, a striking 27-story mixed-use tower in the Bronx's Mott Haven district.

A Modern Perspective with Classic Influence

The Maven stands as a testament to modern design with a touch of classic character. We were thrilled to collaborate with the project's developers and CetraRuddy Architects to design and supply a custom brick rainscreen system for the building's exterior. This system not only complements the building's modern aesthetic but also offers exceptional durability and energy efficiency.

Expertise for a Unique Architectural Vision

Our team's expertise in custom rainscreen solutions was instrumental in bringing the architect's vision to life. The unique design of The Maven, with its canted facades for maximized natural light and stunning views, demanded a rainscreen system that could seamlessly integrate with its form.

Our custom brick rainscreen system met this challenge perfectly, providing the desired aesthetic effect while ensuring superior performance. The system's lightweight nature also contributed to the building's overall efficiency. This system is paired with a custom thin brick color blend developed by Belden Tri-State Building Materials.

Custom Brick Rainscreen System Development

The architects of The Maven envisioned a modern facade with a touch of classic character, incorporating canted angles to maximize natural light and provide stunning views. This presented a challenge for the rainscreen system. It needed to:

Accommodate the canted angles: Traditional rainscreen systems are typically designed for flat surfaces. We had to develop a system that could seamlessly integrate with the building's angled facade.
Maintain a brick aesthetic: The design called for a brick exterior, and the rainscreen system needed to achieve this look while maintaining the functionality and benefits of rainscreen with a traditional brick-look exterior.
Lightweight construction: The overall building design demanded a lightweight facade system for optimal efficiency. The DURUS brick rainscreen system leverages this advantage, reducing the weight load on the building's structure and contributing to its overall efficiency. This was particularly crucial for The Maven's design.

Considering these challenges, our team opted for a custom rainscreen system with a thin brick exterior. This offered several advantages:

Versatility: the DURUS brick rainscreen attachment systems can be manufactured to fit the flow of the exterior walls, allowing us to create custom systems that perfectly followed the building's angles.
Durability: Brick is known for its exceptional resistance to weather, fire, and fading, ensuring a long-lasting and low- maintenance facade.
Lightweight: Compared to traditional exterior systems, rainscreen thin brick is significantly lighter, reducing the weight load on the building's structure.
Aesthetics: Brick rainscreen utilizes real thin brick, meant to mimic the look a traditional full brick exterior, perfectly matching the architect's vision for a sustainable, modern approach with traditional styling.

Engineering Expertise for Performance

At the heart of The Maven's rainscreen system lies the innovative DURUS system. This proprietary system utilizes thin brick attachment panels, offering several key benefits:

Panel anchoring: We included a thermally broken, adjustable rainscreen system by Q-VENT to support the DURUS tray and brick system.
Waterproofing and drainage: A crucial aspect of any rainscreen system is its ability to manage water penetration. Unlike other brick rainscreen products on the market, Durus was designed carefully to mitigate sitting water in the trays. In cold climates where freezing and thawing are prevalent, this helps prevent expansion cracks that would be visible in mortar joints or the brick itself.
Insulation: The rainscreen system was designed to integrate with the building's insulation layer, contributing to The Maven's overall energy efficiency. To achieve the look of authentic brick with all of the thermal performance benefits of a back ventilated rainscreen system is truly the best of both worlds.

Collaboration and Successful Execution

The success of The Maven's facade system hinged on close collaboration between Cladding Concepts International, CetraRuddy, Belden Tri-State Building Materials, and the construction team. Belden Tri-State, our parent company, worked with CetraRuddy to develop a custom thin brick color blend for this project. Throughout the design and development process, we maintained open communication to ensure the system perfectly met the project's aesthetic and performance requirements.

The custom DURUS brick rainscreen system for The Maven is a testament to our expertise in innovative facade solutions. It exemplifies our ability to overcome design challenges and deliver a system that is both beautiful and functional.

More Than Just a Building - A Community Hub

The Maven is more than just a residential building; it's a vibrant hub for the Mott Haven community. We're proud that our work on the building's exterior contributes to its overall appeal and functionality.

At Cladding Concepts International, we are committed to using our expertise to create beautiful, sustainable, and high-performing building envelopes. The Maven project is a shining example of how our custom rainscreen systems can elevate a project's design and contribute to a thriving community.

Cladding Concepts International: Building Better Together

If you're looking for a trusted partner for your next architectural project, Cladding Concepts International is here to help. We offer a wide range of rainscreen solutions and expertise to bring your vision to life. Contact us today to learn more about how we can elevate your project.

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The Maven: Bringing Modern Luxury to Mott Haven with Brick Rainscreen