cladding
n.a layer of material added to the outside of a building to protect it or make it look better. It is often made of metal, plastic, or stone.
n.a layer of material applied to the exterior surface of a structure to provide protection, insulation, or aesthetic appeal. Often used in architectural and construction contexts to describe non-structural outer layers.
“The old brick building was covered in new metal cladding.”
“The architect chose lightweight aluminum cladding to reduce the overall weight of the skyscraper while maintaining a modern look.”
“While traditional stone cladding provides excellent thermal mass, modern composite materials offer superior fire resistance and require significantly less maintenance over the lifespan of the building.”
“This was a year before Grenfell, and the flats market in London was completely crazy.” Four years later, her flat became unsellable when they realised it was covered in dangerous, flammable cladding.”
“The IAEA said in its report that this new site contained “natural uranium metal in the form of fuel rods with cladding”.”
From clad + -ing. Compare clothing, ultimately from the same source.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.