Bates and Smart’s Dandenong Mental Health facility embraced timber during the design process. The calming and warm characteristics of timber made it the logical primary building material for a healthcare facility and allows the building to integrate into the dense residential neighbourhood.
The project consolidated residential, research, training, and administration functions into a single, purpose-built facility. The extensive use of interior and exterior timber provides warmth, texture, patterning, a non-institutional feel, and low embodied energy. Coated in CUTEK® Extreme CD50, the grain and tactility remain present and not masked over.
CUTEK® Extreme CD50 applied to the exterior blackbutt timber offers maximum protection against Melbourne’s unpredictable weather. The design team decided against adding a CUTEK® Colourtone, instead allowing the Blackbutt to gracefully transform from a warm brown to a silver grey over time.
Completely exposed to the elements, the dimensional stability properties of CUTEK® Extreme CD50 provide long-term protection against cupping, splitting and warping. Even when the timber silvers over time, the protective mechanisms of CUTEK® Extreme CD50 will still be at work to repel gas phase moisture.
It was important that the exterior cladding be highly durable and low maintenance. CUTEK® Extreme CD50 improves the long-term durability of the timber and offers easy, simple and cost-effective maintenance. Simply clean and recoat – no sanding or stripping required.
The cladding was precoated off-site before installation to simplify and streamline the onsite construction process.
- Product: Extreme CD50
- Colour: Clear
- Application: External Cladding
- Materials: Blackbutt
- Location: Victoria
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Dandenong Mental Health Facility
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CUTEK® began as a problem solver in the market. We understood that timber is beautiful, however because it is a natural resource, it can have some inherent problems when using it to create lasting structures. The original CUTEK® formula was created to displace water from timber, giving it increased dimensional stability. We have then evolved to create other formulas included CUTEK® Wood Preservative, a decorative wood coating (that is able to be coloured) which makes timber resistant to mould, fungus and termites while also keeping it dimensionally stable.
CUTEK® is forever anticipating change and need. If someone wants to use timber in a unique way, or in a unique setting, we want to work alongside them, troubleshooting the problem towards an inspired solution.
We have always been, and always will be, champions for the use of the timber in the building industry. If you want to use it, we will help you find a way.
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