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The Multifaçades: Everything You Need to Know
The Multifaçades is a rainscreen cladding system for building envelopes that includes a wide range cladding materials that can be installed within the same panel. It also allows for the integration of a specific, patented window system (SM160), which ensures the alignment between the insulated glazing unit and the cladding.
Multifaçades helps solve issues related to thermal and acoustic performance, while offering buildings a natural and distinctive appearance. It is a prescriptive solution that meets modern energy efficiency requirements—requirements that curtain walls can no longer satisfy. A fully glazed building becomes possible with this system, since the opaque sections consist of cladding installed in front of an insulated wall. This removes the need for galvanized steel studs usually required behind curtain wall spandrels.
What Are the Advantages of Multifaçades?
Architectural Design & Versatility
The Multifaçades building enveloppe system enables seamless integration of exterior cladding and windows, delivering a sleek and modern aesthetic. Its ability to incorporate various materials while maintaining pressure equalization allows for bold, innovative façade designs, making it a favorite among architects. Its technical engineering ensures long-term reliability and durability, regardless of design complexity.
Durability & Performance
Engineered to withstand extreme climate conditions, Multifaçades maintains both its aesthetic and performance for decades. Built with high-quality materials and exceptional craftsmanship, the system is extraordinarily resilient. Its rainscreen design follows the pressure-equalized façade principle, ensuring optimal management of wind loads and rainwater.
Energy Efficiency and More
The system complies with all North American building standards and exceeds the most stringent construction requirements. Its innovative design addresses thermal insulation, water and air management, wind resistance, and acoustic control, ensuring optimal overall building performance.
All modern construction professionals appreciate knowing that the occupants of their buildings are comfortable, safe, and capable, without much effort, of minimizing energy waste, both for the planet and their utility bills.
Ease and Speed of Installation
Thanks to factory prefabrication, local material use, and simplified maintenance, every step—from design to upkeep—is streamlined. With its independent, robust panels, Multifaçades ensures durability and visual consistency while allowing for efficient and fast installation.
Adaptability to All Types of Projects
Multifaçades provides unmatched flexibility, accommodating any architectural requirement and allowing for limitless creativity. It’s equally suited for new construction or retrofit projects. Its compatibility with a wide range of materials and fully independent panels simplifies both installation and removal, reducing the risk of damage.
The complexity of certain projects—especially façade renovations or retrofits—requires solutions that match the ambitions of modern architecture. As urban expansion slows, renovation becomes an essential necessity, even if it may seem intimidating.
Multifaçades has already proven its effectiveness on large-scale retrofit projects, such as the Sheraton in Laval, Quebec, an internationally recognized high-end hotel franchise.
How Does the Multifaçades System Work?
At its core, it is a rainscreen cladding system, designed to keep water out of the building envelope. It is a pressure-equalized system, meaning wind loads are transferred to the support wall, while water is evacuated and managed optimally.
The system is tested under the AAMA 508 standard, which specifically governs pressure-equalized rainscreens. The system’s key component is the dry gasket, which allows airflow to balance pressure while blocking the vast majority of water. These gaskets also serve an aesthetic function by hiding all mechanical fasteners and anchors.
Each panel is completely independent. In practice, this means any panel can be removed or replaced without dismantling adjacent ones.
The system is designed to be compatible with a variety of window types, with a preference for the SM160 flush-mounted window. These windows use 12 mm joints with double glazing and 17 mm with triple glazing. The window is available in fixed or awning-opening configurations, maintaining the same exterior appearance. Only the interior handle distinguishes them.
The outer frame is shifted outward into a secondary frame, creating a look similar to curtain walls. Here is a project that showcases this configuration.
The thermal performance of these windows is exceptional, thanks to the combination of external thermal breaks (polyamide, PVC) and aluminum interiors. For more technical insight, consult our article on maximizing energy efficiency.
Configurations and Options
The Multifaçades system allows for a wide variety of configurations:
- Double or triple glazing for the SM160 window
- Curtain wall fenestration also possible (may be offset from the cladding in some projects like LPP)
- Commercial or hybrid window systems
- Opaque materials: glass, aluminum, sintered stone (Dekton, Neolith), HPL, BIPV (building-integrated photovoltaics)
- Shapes: rectangular, trapezoidal, curved
- Panel sizes: up to 54 sq. ft. for a single opaque panel (with reinforcements as needed)
Where Can Multifaçades Be Used?
Multifaçades is suitable for all building types, though it is most advantageous where more than 60% of the façade is opaque.
Typical applications include:
Schools, institutional buildings, private/public projects, hotels, condos, multi-residential towers, commercial properties, offices, HQs, towers over 30 stories—and even smaller buildings.
Multifaçades: Thermal Performance, Material Flexibility & Compliance
The Multifaçades system stands apart from traditional curtain walls by offering significantly superior thermal and acoustic performance. Unlike curtain walls, which rely on continuous metal mullions, Multifaçades is anchored to an insulated wall behind the cladding. This approach drastically reduces thermal bridging and improves the overall envelope tightness.
Depending on the ratio between glazed and opaque sections, Multifaçades can also be a more cost-effective solution. By optimizing these ratios, it becomes possible to meet performance and design goals while controlling costs.
This system is fully compliant with current building standards and codes. All performance data, including thermal, acoustic and structural testing, is detailed in our technical data sheets available online. This allows architects, engineers and professionals to confidently specify Multifaçades in a variety of projects, from residential to commercial.
Another key strength is its compatibility with a wide range of materials, enabling harmonious integration of glass, aluminum, sintered stone, HPL panels, and even BIPV (building-integrated photovoltaic glass). This material flexibility gives designers unique creative freedom, while maintaining technical and aesthetic consistency across the building envelope.
Architects Are Embracing Hybrid Façade Systems
Fully glazed façades have long been admired for their clean look, transparency, and the natural light they bring into buildings. However, with tightening energy codes and increasing thermal and acoustic performance demands, glass-only façades—typically built with curtain walls—are starting to reach their limits, particularly in northern climates.
In this context, hybrid systems like Multifaçades are emerging as credible, high-performance alternatives. The system combines highly insulated opaque sections with flush-integrated glazing, offering the visual appeal of curtain walls without their downsides. As shown in the cutaway view, the system improves moisture management, reduces thermal bridging, and eliminates continuous aluminum frames—major culprits in energy loss and sound transmission.
Multifaçades meets the highest technical standards while delivering remarkable architectural freedom. By adjusting the glazed-to-opaque ratio, the system enables compliance with façade regulations without sacrificing contemporary aesthetics. Its material compatibility—glass, aluminum, HPL, BIPV—allows for full design customization without compromising performance.
Six Projects That Have Used Multifaçades
Multifaçades: One of the Simplest Installation Processes in the Industry
The typical installation process includes:
- Construction of rough window openings (with guaranteed measurements to speed up fabrication)
- Installation and waterproofing of frame members (similar to curtain wall mullions)
- Insulation around window frames
- Installation of window units (fixed or operable)
- Site measurements for custom fabrication of opaque panels
- Installation of thermal-break anchors and horizontal steel angles (“L” brackets)
- Building insulation
- Installation of vertical furring channels (“omegas”) on steel brackets
- Installation of bottom starter horizontal channels
- Panel installation from bottom to top
Aesthetically, the system requires the same maintenance as curtain walls. The windows, which are almost self-cleaning, only require a yearly cleaning with glass cleaner and water, as does the cladding. Glass, used as both fenestration and cladding, maintains its finish far better than painted aluminum panels.
Dry gaskets require no maintenance or cleaning.
Operable windows may require minor adjustments after several years; our team will gladly handle that. Structurally, no maintenance is needed to preserve the system’s integrity.
In Summary: Multifaçades Is the Solution to New Building Code Demands
Multifaçades is a pressure-equalized rainscreen cladding system that combines thermal performance, modern aesthetics, and material flexibility. It enables the integration of patented flush windows, simplifies installation, minimizes thermal bridging, and adapts to both new and retrofit projects. Fully compliant with the strictest North American building standards, it offers a durable, high-performance alternative to traditional curtain walls.