Hi all
From where I come from, exterior walls of a house are usually either cement plastered + paint or laid with tiles.
However, in Japan, I noticed that a lot of modern houses are neither. Instead, they have some sort of “wall panels” that are made from PVC (I think?) and are installed on the outer walls through a locking system.
This is an example: https://www.house-design-coffee.com/images/Japan-houses-6-13-exterior-grid-panels.jpg
I have no idea what these are called. Tried searching but was not successful.
Can anyone enlighten me? Also, it will be great if you know any stores in Tokyo that sell these. Thanks in advance!
5 comments
fasad panels. They look great from a distance, but definitely cheap up close.
In Japanese, called “窯業サイディング”
Is just a type of “siding”. Here’s some information
https://rehome-navi.com/articles/545
The term in Japanese is サイディング
It’s popular because it can be fairly inexpensive, durable, and easy to maintain. I used to kind of hate it because I generally prefer natural materials over of synthetic imitations, but I’ve since come around to it in certain tastefully done configurations and situations. Another big part of my becoming more accepting of it now is that after becoming a homeowner myself I understand now how much maintenance and upkeep is required when wanting to use natural materials. The ease of maintenance for siding due to it being pretty much custom tailored to Japan’s climate makes it very attractive in terms of practicality.
You can search for manufacturers and they will usually have a showroom you can see samples and get more info about the different styles and technology. If you see something you like, you can ask the showroom if they have a distributor they recommend or try to search online to find one yourself (Rakuten has some siding vendors selling through their platform for example). If you are intending to DIY it, just make sure you research well and understand any quirks of the product, as it might be different than the type of installation processes you are used to in your home country.
I think the siding in your picture is actually from Asahi Kasei used for their Hebel Haus. It’s called Power Board and is made of ALC (Autoclaved Lightweight aerated Concrete).
[へーベルパワーボード【旭化成建材のALC外壁材】 (asahikasei-kenzai.com)](https://www.asahikasei-kenzai.com/akk/powerboard/)