Firm adopts cladding as new strategy in property business

THE new trend in the business world is gaining momentum in Nigeria, especially, in the retail related businesses. Caught up with cladding as a means of attracting customers, business premises in the Central Business Districts (CDBs), either in the Lagos Island, Ikeja and even Ikoyi and others, wall cladding seems to become a rule rather than exemption.Joining the league of cladding of business premises is a popular quick services restaurant, Tastee Fried Chicken (TFC), which appears to be leading within the eatery sector and has had almost all its outlet buildings adorned with aluminum composites.The eateries' outlets on Oyin Jolayemi Street in Victoria Island, 22 Road Festac Town, 50 Warehouse Road Apapa and a whole lot more branches according to the Executive Director, Mr. Bunmi Adedayo are being re-worked for cladding, ostensibly, to meet the what he termed 'international best practices' and value for the money's worth.According to Adedayo 'because TFC sites its outlets in vantage positions on prime property and because the eatery remains the leaders in the industry, it is important for its ambience to look impeccable, which is why the need for the new style was adopted and is catching up amongst other eateries within and outside the city', he said.According to him, cladding can serve both a decorative and a functional purpose. 'It is used to complement the architectural style of the building while also offering protection from rain, wind, snow, and other outside elements, said Felison Onomakpome, an architect.Building cladding, Onomakpome said can also add insulation to the structure while minimizing sound transmission through the walls. 'While the term cladding is widely used in Europe and Australia, these exterior finish materials are typically known as siding in North America.'He said before exterior cladding can be installed, the structural framing of the building must be complete. This typically involves using wood or steel studs to frame out the exterior walls. 'These walls are then covered with plywood or oriented-strand board (OSB) to help brace against wind and other forces. Some buildings may be built from masonry or concrete rather than wood or steel, and do not require plywood or OSB sheathing.'A distributor of the product, Anthony Chimezie said the most popular claddings are the composite claddings. 'Various composite materials are also used for cladding; such as asphalt, asbestos, aluminum, fiber cement and so on. They may be in the form of shingles or boards, in which case they are sometimes called clapboard.'Costs of composites, he said tend to be lower than wood or masonry options, but vary widely as do installation, maintenance and repair requirements.
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