An iconic feature of the arrivals hall, the wall consists of 75, 2400 x 1200mm Birch plywood panels, incorporating three stunning Kiwiana designs machined into the plywood. Fabricated, machined and installed by leading Auckland machining company Cutting Innovations Ltd, the wall creates a stunning mural effect, for visitors entering New Zealand.

When it came to sealing and protecting the plywood, Cutting Innovations chose Climate Coatings to supply its innovative powder coating technology for plywood.

"We'd worked with Climate on previous projects and knew their products and service offered a number of advantages including increased performance and significant cost and time efficiencies," said Cutting Innovations Manager Brendan Smith.

"In the first instance we needed a coating solution that offered excellent protection and durability, in a colour that enabled us to provide the finish desired by the client," explains Brendan.

Climate's powder coating technology is electrostatically applied, then cured using infra-red energy providing the increased durability and performance needed for this high-traffic area. Decor Shield base formulation in a blonde semi-transparent, matte finish was selected; a popular option for finishing interior plywood, it achieves a warm natural finish that accentuates the natural grain of the timber.

Co-ordinating a project at the airport presented some unique challenges for Cutting Innovations that Climate was able to assist them in overcoming.

"We were working to very specific time frames while adhering to strict procedures around security and safety with limited opportunities for close down. Climate was able to coat whole sheets at a time, in large runs in their state-of-the art factory and deliver the pre-finished panels to site for rapid installation over a weekend," Brendan adds.

With no VOC's or solvents, powder coating is regarded as the most sustainable coating technologies offering increased durability and performance without compromising aesthetics or the environment.

The end result is a stunning low-maintenance finish that is easy to clean and will preserve the designs for visitors to enjoy for many years to come.