The original textured steel reimagining natural finishes

The warmth of corten, the depth of aged copper, the grain of timber catching the light as the day shifts… There’s a reason so many of us reach for these natural products. We instinctively return to them, to the feeling they bring. But natural materials change. They evolve, stain, weather, soften. Sometimes beautifully, often unpredictably.

In projects where longevity, control or budget begin to shape decisions, alternatives are often needed.

“Architects still want raw, expressive materials,” says Jason Voglis, National Sales Manager for INSPIRE. “But they also want certainty.”

This was part of the story for David Neil at Horizon House. Corten steel had been part of the original design, a material that would sit comfortably within the tones of the surrounding landscape. But the realities of installation, maintenance and long-term performance introduced the need to look elsewhere.

We’ve essentially taken a material that’s known for evolving over time, and then we’ve delivered that look from day one.

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Chosen for its performance and certainty, all while mimicking the same beauty of natural corten, INSPIRE’s UniCote LUX in Corten Red delivers beyond expectations.

“We’ve essentially taken a material that’s known for evolving over time, and then we’ve delivered that look from day one.”

As the only textured, prepainted steel product currently available in Australia, UniCote LUX has been used in projects for over a decade. A unique construction, UniCote LUX is prepainted with a layered system that is baked on, not laminated or spray-applied, which creates its patented texture. Sourced from a leading global mill in South Korea, the technology delivers finishes you can see and feel. It’s a material that many architects have encountered, sometimes without realising it, on projects where texture, warmth and durability sit together seamlessly.

“It uses a PVDF paint system with five layers. That’s what gives it the different texture and variation in the pattern,” explains Jason. “If you love the look of weathered steel, but need greater consistency, longevity and control, this system means you don’t have to worry about bleeding, runoff, staining or the uncertainty that comes with natural weathering. Instead, you get that richness of an oxidised steel aesthetic with a more predictable and durable finish.”

“That’s one of the challenges with specifying natural materials,” David adds. “It’s almost impossible to keep that original look.”

Finishes like zinc and copper, often reserved for higher budgets, become accessible in a different form, opening up opportunities across a wider range of projects.

“Copper costs a fortune. UniCote LUX opens up a lot of opportunities,” says David.

Wrapped in UniCote LUX Corten Red, Neil Architecture’s Horizon House project in Gippsland’s Fish Creek sits beautifully in the environment while also being protected from it. Designed to meet the site’s BAL-40 bushfire rating, the home’s tonal depth reflects the colours of the surrounding landscape.

Two years on from construction, the cladding looks the same as day one, already with the depth of a patina once only possible from the natural material itself.

“It’s not going to fade, it’s not going to succumb to Australia’s harsh UV climate,” says Jason.

Horizon House is one example where cooler, flatter finishes are giving way to more tactile surfaces with warmth. UniCote LUX sits naturally within that shift. Its finishes, such as Weathered Iron and Corten Red, feel less like applied colour and more like a material in their own right, something that belongs to the landscape rather than sitting against it.

In October this year, the LUX Signature range will evolve, a subtle refinement of its palette, expanding its material references while narrowing its focus. New finishes will emerge while others will fall away.

Rather than replacing natural materials, UniCote LUX reinterprets them. It holds onto their character while removing the elements that make them difficult to control. For architects, it means designing with materials that feel familiar, yet behave differently, with more predictability and more consistency.

If you’re looking to capture the character of weathered steel, the warmth of timber, the soft patina of zinc and the aged richness of copper, without the challenges, the UniCote LUX Signature range offers a compelling alternative. With the refreshed LUX Signature range set to launch soon, now is the time to contact INSPIRE and be the first to specify these new finishes in your upcoming projects.

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