Cladding panel

A method of forming a cladding panel, the method comprising:

• locating a plurality of facing building members which have front faces and a rear side, with recesses being provided in the rear side of at least some of the facing building members, which recesses extend part way into the facing building member, the facing building members being located in a pattern of rows with the joints between adjacent facing building members in a row not being aligned with the joints between adjacent facing building members in neighbouring rows,
• the recesses in the facing building members in neighbouring rows being aligned perpendicularly to the rows of facing building members;
• and
• locating a backing of a settable material onto the rear of the facing building members to fill the recesses, the joints between adjacent facing building members, and the joints between neighbouring rows of facing building members, so as to provide one or more columns of settable material extending perpendicularly to the rows of facing building members, wherein some of the recesses are provided in ends of the facing building members at the rear side, located adjacent facing building members with recesses in their other ends at the rear side, to produce larger combined recesses each profiled to provide a dovetail profile, the larger combined recesses being at the joints between adjacent facing building members in the rows, and the larger combined recesses being part of said one or more columns, wherein support areas of extra settable material are provided on a rear of the cladding panel, and wherein the support areas of extra settable material are located to an opposite, rear side of the backing of settable material than a recess-facing side of the backing of settable material filling the recesses, and
• wherein the backing of settable material is cementitious, including the settable material in the one or more columns and the extra settable material.

A cladding panel, the panel comprising:

• a plurality of facing building members mounted on a backing of settable material, the facing building members being mounted in rows which are aligned horizontally in use, with settable material located in joints between adjacent facing building members in the rows, and settable material located in joints between neighbouring rows of facing building members, wherein the joints between adjacent facing building members in a row are not aligned with the joints between adjacent facing building members in neighbouring rows of facing building members,
• the facing building members having front faces and a rear side, with recesses being provided in the rear side of at least some of the facing building members in each row, which recesses extend part way into the facing building member and receive settable material,
• the recesses in facing building members in neighbouring rows being aligned such that one or more columns of settable material in the recesses are provided extending perpendicularly to the rows of facing building members,
• wherein some of the recesses are provided in ends of the facing building members at the rear side, located adjacent facing building members with recesses in their other ends at the rear side, to produce larger combined recesses each profiled to provide a dovetail profile, the larger combined recesses being at the joints between adjacent facing building members in the rows, and the larger combined recesses being part of said one or more columns, wherein support areas of extra settable material are provided on a rear of the cladding panel, and wherein the support areas of extra settable material are cementitious, and
• wherein the backing of settable material is cementitious, including the settable material in the one or more columns and the extra settable material.