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Technical Blog
A building’s character is usually credited to what the eye can pick out, be it a crisp shadow line, a confident connecting junction or the pattern of boards across an elevation. But character, in the way owners and occupants actually experience it, is not the detail itself. Rather, it’s whether those details still seem deliberate after a year of exposure, after the first winter has strained each edge, seam and fixing.
That’s why the decision that matters most often sits one layer beneath the finish. When a facade loses definition, the cause is usually movement, and it shows up first in the places where design intent is supposed to be most visible.
Where facades lose definition
Repair, maintenance and improvement accounts for a significant share of UK construction output, and forecasts suggest it will remain an active market through 2026 and beyond. For manufacturers producing premium modular units or leisure assets, ensuring a built exterior looks as healthy as possible quickly becomes a cost problem as well as an aesthetic one.
Exterior finishes tend to fail in the same places, regardless of the coating system being used. Broad surfaces usually hold up well. The early warning signs appear at corners, cut edges, tight joints and sharp profile geometry, essentially, anywhere a facade has to behave like a system. This is often because these areas are most susceptible to outside moisture, and wet-dry cycling is what tests whether a facade keeps its definition or starts to show strain at the details.
Why material stability underpins design intent
This is why focusing on the best finish can miss the point. A coating is only as good as the surface it is trying to hold together. Substrate stability is what keeps shadow gaps crisp, joints aligned and profiles appearing intentional.
With this in mind, the appeal of MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME (MTX) becomes plainly apparent - in particular, its durability and the stability it provides. This stability, in turn, enables the freedom to choose how the facade expresses itself.
One route is to machine bespoke cladding profiles from sheet material. That opens up the kind of control that matters when building character is being used as a differentiator, such as with signature grooves, deeper reveals or a particular shadow line that becomes a recognisable part of a product range. For manufacturers, that consistency standardises detailing across units, reducing variability and keeping installation outcomes more predictable.
The other route is to use MTX in sheets for a panelled facade. Sheet cladding lends itself to clean, modern elevations where expressed joints are part of the architecture rather than something to hide. It can also be a more scalable approach for repeat builds, where speed and consistency are as integral as the look itself. And, with a 50-year guarantee for above-ground installations, the look will last for years to come.
Designing for the years after installation
Bakers Garden Buildings offers a clear example of how the two approaches can sit together. The company uses MTX across external features, including horizontal and vertical cladding panels, along with bespoke trims and canopy soffits, a combination of large surfaces and fabricated details that helps keep the exterior aesthetic coherent.
The difference between a facade that looks designed and one that simply looks maintained is not a subtle one. On day one, almost anything can look visually striking. The more telling test is whether the joints still line up or the profiles still hold their definition in year two.
Character is not only what is drawn in an elevation. It is what still reads as an intentional design choice after the seasons have done their work. Choosing a stable substrate, and then deciding whether to express it through bespoke profiles or clean sheet layouts, is one of the more reliable ways to make that happen.
