Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124ment. Safe handling is especially critical not only due to the expense of each panel but in many cases due to the unique dimensions of each panel you cant just take another tile from the box. Structural support framework as with the porcelain panels the majority of the aluminum frame- work used to support the porce- lain panels is typically proprietary and provided pre-fabricated by the manufacturer we likewise avoid manufacturers systems that rely on stock framing components and allow contractors to construct solu- tions in the field that have not been engineered or vetted by perfor- mance testing in the laboratory. The proper installation and align- ment of the supporting framework is the most crucial aspect in the construction of porcelain panel rainscreen wall systems. This is a significant departure from the brick tile and mortar skills typi- cal of the tile trades and requires skill and training in metal fram- ing procedures Figure 3. Again based on experience I only rec- ommend considering manufac- turers systems that provide fully pre-engineered and pre-fabricated proprietary supporting framework. Similar to the porcelain pan- els capabilities to understand and manage both the engineered shop drawings and the architects detail drawings are critical especially due to the interfaces with other building systems such as the align- ment with windows and attach- ment to the underlying structural wall components. Structural back-up wall and ancillary components this is the most complex and project-specific aspect of porcelain panel rain- screen wall systems but the least problematic sub-system for the tile contractor. Tile contractors need to focus education and training efforts on the following Types of structural back-up wall systems metal studsheath- ing most common concrete masonry units or concrete Waterproofing continuous AMV air moisture vapor membranes Insulation continuous rigid insu- lation outboard of back-up wall Flashings and accessories metal and sheet-membrane flashings primarily at interfaces with other building systems window sills heads roof copings etc. On many projects the manufac- turers engineer would coordinate efforts to evaluate the architects details and provide engineering requirements for attachment of the TECH TALK Fig. 3 Tile contractor training session for aluminum framework and porcelain panel installation procedures. 66 TileLetter June 2016