Timber is a very popular building material in Australia and is incorporated into many high-end architectural designs. It can, however, be very costly, and it does have limitations in terms of fire safety compliance. Per the Australian Building Code, timber must utilise a non-combustible, fire-protective coating when used as an exterior building material.
An arguably better option is to choose a beautiful non-combustible aluminium cladding product that has the look of natural timber.
Key Insights
- Fire safety must be top of mind when it comes to the design and construction of homes and other buildings.
- Timber is an enduringly popular building material for its warmth, style, and versatility. It does, however, have limitations as an exterior façade material when it comes to fire safety compliance, especially for commercial, industrial, and high-rise buildings.
- In Australia, the ALPOLIC™ NC/A1 Timber Series (for commercial and industrial builds) and the ALPOLIC™/fr Timber Series (for high-end residential builds of below 18 metres in height) offer beautiful, realistic timber aesthetic.
Why Is the wood-look so enduringly popular?
Wood is a diverse material that has been used for construction purposes for thousands of years.
The allure and appeal of wood/timber lie in its colours, textures, and depth; it speaks to all of our human senses, and there are well over 100 workable wood species that each has its own colour, natural patterning, texture, hardness, and even aroma.
As a building material, timber is extremely aesthetically versatile. Depending on the choice of timber and how it is used, it can deliver everything from a warm, rustic look to one that is seamless and modern.
Timber and Fire Safety
Fire safety and compliance are of utmost importance in building design, especially in Australia’s harsh, bushfire-prone environment; even more so for commercial, industrial, and high-rise buildings. While very high-density hardwood timber varieties do have greater resistance to igniting and will smoulder/char at a slower rate than other woods (and timber can be treated to improve its fire performance), timber is often not the right choice for use on the exterior façades of these large-scale constructions in terms of meeting strict fire safety compliance standards.
There are fire-safe ways to achieve the look and impression of natural wood.
How Can I Get the Look of timber without sacrificing fire safety?
ALPOLIC™ NC/A1 (for commercial, industrial, and high-rise constructions) is among the very best DtS non-combustible cladding systems globally.
Both ALPOLIC™ NC/A1 and ALPOLIC™/fr meet Australia’s fire safety compliance standards, and ALPOLIC™ NC/A1 also achieves Europe’s highest fire-rating system for non-combustible cladding.
The ALPOLIC™ product lines offer a Timber Series. This delivers a fantastic way to achieve the appearance and style of natural wood with your cladding system. Realistic timber-look options include maple, teak, mahogany, walnut, oak, beech, zebrawood, and oriental cane. These can be used alone or in combination with other lines (including stone, metal, and others) for a truly unique, bespoke design outcome.
Conclusion
The look of natural timber is timeless, warm, and elegant; tradition and innovation meet in ALPOLIC™ NC/A1 for façade cladding solutions that are:
- stylish
- fire-safety compliant
- durable
- highly-performing
- low-maintenance
- lightweight and relatively easy to install
- sustainable (100% recyclable)
- cost-effective
- Warranted for 20 years (with no cleaning clause)
Get the look of natural timber in outstanding non-combustible aluminium cladding in Australia exclusively at Network Architectural. See more.
