Darley House - Sydney, Australia

Completed in December 2019, this new-build home on the edge of Centennial Park in Sydney, was designed by highly respected architect Andy Macdonald of MiArchitects.

The home features a reduced palette of brick, metal and our Vulcan timber cladding (WB10 tongue and groove) in the reactive coating, Sioo:x.

“We were immediately drawn to the fine band-sawn face and texture of the Abodo Vulcan range and the warmth in the range of colours/finishes. But ultimately we selected the Sioo:x finish because of the weathered grey look it develops way quicker and more evenly than an oiled hardwood alternative would.” says Architect, Andy Macdonald.

The clients, a young family with busy schedules, wanted the natural materiality of a timber but were concerned about the ongoing maintenance associated with timber; even on a 3 or 4 yearly basis.

They also preferred that any timber on the project came from a sustainable source.

Being a thermally modified Radiata Pine from plantation forests, the Vulcan Cladding answered the sustainability criteria straight off the bat, as it comes FSC® certified.

“Because Vulcan Cladding is thermally modified (‘pre-shrunk’) it is proven to be more stable. And our understanding of the thermal modification is that it effectively transforms a softwood to something closer to a hardwood.

The crispness of the boards with next to no blemishes assisted with achieving the fine detailing and crisp lines we were trying to achieve.” continues Andy Macdonald.