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Cladding
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Definition
The external skin applied to a building's structure to provide weather protection, thermal insulation, and aesthetic finish. Cladding is non-structural — it does not carry loads. Common cladding materials include terracotta panels, glass, aluminium, stone, timber, and fibre cement.
Example
The Louvre Pyramid in Paris by I.M. Pei (1989) uses glass cladding supported by a steel lattice — the cladding being the architecture.