7,000 sq.m. divided over a ground floor and an elevated mezzanine, inside which there is a hall, shops, bars and administrative offices, as well as a 130-seat conference room and a large exhibition room divided in accordance with Russian history periods: we are at the interactive Museum “Russia. My history”, built in Volgograd, a European Russian industrial city on the banks of the river Volga. Fascinating and one-of-a-kind, from the outer appearance, where the precise engraving and perforation work of the ventilated façade recall the typical floral ornaments inspired by Soviet tradition: building design and functionality made complete by the innovative technologies that provide it with thermal insulation and soundproofing, and make it easy to maintain and energy efficient.

The fascinating architectural solution able to combine technology and design with which the interactive Museum’s envelope was completed is the Arkwall system produced by Isopan, the company that, in 2015, inaugurated the Isopan Rus production plant in that same Russian city. Arkwall is a system conceived for ventilated façades, made up of cladding panels made of HPL (High Pressure Laminate), which are used to complete the walls that are made from mineral wool or polyurethane panels: cladding a building with this solution is the same as dressing it in a handsome suit, of high quality and “matched” to the external context.

In general, a ventilated façade is made up of a load-bearing metal structure fixed to the wall of the building with brackets that make it possible to create an air gap and is made up of four layers:

• Continuous insulating layer applied to the outer wall
• Ventilation gap
• External cladding support structure
• Internal lining
• Both the anchoring systems, which can be either visible or concealed, and the external cladding of the Arkwall walls change the look of a building; the selected and available materials also ensure excellent resistance to fire and, in general, to external elements such as rain, cold or heat.

Thanks to the Arkwall ventilated façades, in fact, it is possible to eliminate thermal bridges, which are the cause of condensation and mould, and create a shield against summer heat, as they ensure continuous thermal insulation and soundproofing thanks to mineral wool or polyurethane sandwich panels.