Improving Resilience in
Severe Environments
Rainscreen & exterior cladding envelope for the DC, Maryland & Virginia National Capital Region.
Exterior renovationFeatured project
Sandy Springs Friends School
A short architecture film of a completed exterior envelope project — our cladding work, in context and in motion.
What is a rainscreen?
Rainscreen systems are widely used on commercial buildings, multifamily housing, institutional buildings, and increasingly on high-performance residential homes to meet the latest code regulations for energy efficiency.
Fig. 01 — Drained & back-ventilated rainscreen assembly
Why build a rainscreen wall
Three things a vented, drained assembly does that a face-sealed wall cannot.
Manages water, instead of fighting it
Wind-driven rain that gets past the panel drains down the cavity and evaporates, and the wall dries from both sides. Pressure across the open joints equalizes, so water is never pushed deep into the assembly. In the Mid-Atlantic's humid summers and freeze–thaw winters, drying capacity is what protects the structure long-term.
Continuous insulation, fewer thermal bridges
Holding the cladding off the wall makes room for an unbroken layer of exterior insulation, wrapping the structure without the gaps that studs and slabs create. The result is a measurably better-performing envelope that supports energy-code targets and can contribute toward LEED credits.
A longer-lived, lower-maintenance façade
Keeping water moving and the cavity ventilated slows the decay that ends most claddings early. Panel materials like fiber cement, metal, UHPC and terracotta are chosen for fire resistance and decades of weathering — so the building looks intentional and stays sound far longer.
Panel systems we install
Six cladding material families, each engineered for the building's environment, use and architecture — supplied and installed as a complete rainscreen system.
Fiber cement panels
Durable, fire-resistant, rot-proof panels that read as stone or wood — the region's workhorse rainscreen material.
Explore fiber cement
Metal panels
Aluminum composite, metal plate, insulated and single-skin systems — endless colors, exceptional weather and fire performance.
Explore metal panels
HPL panels
Lightweight, color-stable laminate panels with crisp open-joint detailing.
Explore HPL
UHPC panels
Thin, dense concrete panels with a refined mineral surface and serious strength.
Explore UHPC
Terracotta & ceramic
Natural clay and porcelain that hold color and integrity for decades.
Explore terracottaRecent work
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One contractor for the whole envelope
Rainscreen performance lives in the details between trades — the membrane laps, the cavity, the transitions at windows and parapets. We coordinate the building envelope end to end so those details don't fall through the cracks between subcontractors.
- Six panel systems under one roof. Fiber cement, metal, HPL, UHPC, terracotta and ceramic — matched to the project, not to whatever we happen to stock.
- Building science first. Pressure-equalized and back-ventilated assemblies detailed for wind-driven rain and freeze–thaw, with the WRB treated as the line that keeps the building dry.
- Built for the DMV. Local to Maryland, Virginia and DC — familiar with the region's codes, energy standards and the demands of its climate.
Serving the DMV — DC, Maryland & Virginia
From infill projects in the District to commercial and institutional work across the Maryland and Northern Virginia suburbs.
We install rainscreen and panel cladding throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. In the District that includes neighborhoods like Georgetown, Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill and Mount Pleasant; in Maryland, Montgomery and Prince George's Counties — Bethesda, Silver Spring and Rockville among them; and across Northern Virginia in Fairfax County, Arlington and Alexandria. If your project sits in the broader Mid-Atlantic envelope of these three jurisdictions, it's in our range.
Get a quote for your project
Tell us about the building and the cladding you're considering. We'll follow up to talk through systems, detailing and budget for your DC, Maryland or Virginia project.
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(240) 375-0094