materials

We have a keen desire to fully express the nature and appearance of materials in our projects - be they rough and natural or slick and man-made (although we prefer the rough over the slick). How light and shadow play on the material at different times of the day and how they feel under hand and foot is important and is considered in each application.

Oiled  and recycled timber, rammed earth, recycled brick and steel troweled concrete are often contrasted against white plasterboard, corrugated metal and glass to accentuate the inherent qualities of each material.

The Japanese notion of 'wabi-sabi' or the aesthetic of the imperfect and unfinished is something that we subscribe to and believe its consideration in the selection of materials imbues each project with a unique signature.

The environmental impact of each material used is also carefully evaluated: Life cycle cost analysis carried out by etool can provide an in-depth analysis of your buildings carbon footprint and comparison agains an 'average' equivalent building with respect to materials and energy input/output. Where possible, we will utilise the environmentally responsible option - FSC or recycled timber, natural oil and zero voc finishes, recycled brick, locally sourced aggregate for rammed earth and so forth.

We also appreciate that maintenance is something that you will probably want to minimise and where appropriate, will suggest materials that are durable and self finishing or dont require re-coating, such as zincalume and colorbond metal, compressed cement sheet, rammed earth, galvanised steel and so on.