Located on Kepa Road, St Heliers, this new ten-home terrace house development offers contemporary living in central Auckland. The homes were designed by Michael Cooper Architects with an aim to make the most of a tight site and maximise North-Western views to the coastline. For the facade, timber-look aluminium louvres were chosen to provide privacy, shading and visual interest — with Metwood’s woodgrain coating ensuring longevity and low maintenance for years to come. 

“Vertical louvres were used for privacy for windows facing the busy Kepa Road,” explains Michael Cooper, Michael Cooper Architects. “They were also implemented as sun shielding elements — especially the North-West elevation.” 

The louvres play a key role in adding contrast and visual interest to the facade, which also features dark cladding and joinery, black framed glass balustrades, and white painted brick. “We aimed to use neutral tones and textures that reflect the natural cascading landscape of Mission Bay,” says Michael. 

To achieve the softer timber look for the louvres, Aurae vertical louvres were specified with a Metwood woodgrain coating — a smart option for providing the warmth and beauty of timber while offering the strength and durability of aluminium. A 'Pale Manuka' finish was chosen from the hundreds of finishes available.

The Metwood coating is virtually maintenance free, reducing the time and costs involved to maintain natural timber — a key advantage for multi-storey projects where scaffolding would be required. As a more dimensionally stable product, aluminium also ensures greater durability. “The aluminium louvres can span long distances over joinery and are more stable and have better longevity than timber,” says Michael. 

The Metwood team was helpful in providing advice throughout the project. “They offered a lot of technical advice, especially during the detailing phase,” says Michael. The coating process was incredibly straightforward, with the Metwood team already having a strong partnership with louvre suppliers, Aurae. 

The end result is a striking facade, with the woodgrain louvres creating an eye-catching contrast. “The Metwood timber finishes complement the dark and light tones of the buildings very well,” says Michael. “It helped bring in texture and neutral elements that reflect the surrounding landscape. It also brings a satisfying result and provides the texture and warmth of the look of timber, without the accompanying maintenance.”