Patent ID: 8745941

Claim:
A method for installing wall panels to an exterior wall of a building, each of the wall panels being polygonal and having an exterior surface and at least two side surfaces bent inwardly at an angle to the respective exterior surfaces and defining a hollow interior portion, and the method comprising: operatively connecting a plurality of attachment clips to a wall surface of the exterior building wall, wherein: each of the attachment clips has a central fastening surface and two opposing wing members, and each wing member extends outwardly from the central fastening surface in a substantially symmetrical manner; providing a plurality of panel perimeter strips, each panel perimeter strip comprising: a generally C-shaped member configured to reside and to extend at least partially along an inside portion of a side surface, and a receiving member integrally attached to the C-shaped member that extends beyond the side surface of the wall panel and provides a slot adapted to interlock a wing member of an attachment clip; fastening panel perimeter strips along at least two of the side surfaces of a first wall panel; fastening panel perimeter strips along at least two of the side surfaces of a second wall panel; sliding a first panel perimeter strip of the first wall panel onto a first wing member of an attachment clip, thereby connecting the first wall panel to the wall; sliding a second panel perimeter strip of the second wall panel onto a second opposing wing member of the attachment clip, thereby connecting the second wall panel to the wall such that the first and second wall panels are adjacent; placing an infill strip into the slot of the first and second panel perimeter strips between the attachment clip and the one or more through openings, thereby covering the central fastening surface; wherein: the attachment clips and the panel perimeter strips comprise a wall panel attachment system, the wall panel attachment system is held together non-adhesively, the attachment clips carry the dead loads of the wall panels, either the infill strip is engaged with the slot of the first panel perimeter strip prior to installing the second wall panel to the wall, or the infill strip is introduced to the slots of the first and second adjacent panel perimeter strips after the two adjacent wall panels have been installed to the wall; and the system is configured to allow wall panels with attached panel perimeter strips along respective side walls to be secured to attachment clips in any sequence or direction.