Todd Gilmore from TGA Architecture used EnviroSlat Decorative Cladding on this Wellington house in Seatoun after researching the cladding's benefits, and was happy with the results.

Todd wanted a slatted aesthetic but with a darker colour, which meant a dark applied finish was needed. Typical material choice would have been expensive powdercoated aluminium box sections or timber, however application of a dark paint or stain finish to timber slats has the potential to absorb heat and cause warping and twisting.

No applied finish was required as EnviroSlat has a natural colour throughout, and as EnviroSlat is more stable than timber, the rotting, splitting and warping of the slats was less likely.

The EnviroSlats were installed mainly as an aesthetic rainscreen over a fully sealed cladding system, and were used in large amounts across both upper and lower levels of the dwelling. If timber had been used, maintenance of the rainscreens (i.e. re-painting / re-staining) would have been extremely difficult and costly. The required aesthetic was for a rainscreen with significant depth to it, and EnviroSlat offered a range of depth profiles.

"The use of EnviroSlat for rainscreens as part of the exterior renovation, has resulted in a significantly modernised look, something much needed by the original dwelling," says Gilmore.

"The rainscreens' colour and depth have created a visually stimulating aesthetic, and by providing a superb contrast to the adjacent claddings used, the dwelling now stands out boldly and beautifully in the streetscape," adds Gilmore.

"A year on from completion, the EnviroSlat Decorative Cladding still looks as good as the day it was installed."

EnviroSlat requires no maintenance and can be supplied in lengths that suit each individual project to minimise waste, including 30 x 40mm, 70 x 15mm, 60 x 40mm, 90 x 25mm and 90 x 40mm. It also comes in a range of profiles which provides flexibility in design.

A member of Industrial Plastic Shapes' Futurewood family, EnviroSlat Decorative Cladding is guaranteed for 15 years against splitting, rotting and colour fastness and being 100 per cent made from recycled materials, it is a fantastic alternative for external cladding.