Materials + Finishes

We try and use aluminium in place of steel as much as we possibly can. It is much lighter, resists corrosion and provides a far more suitable powder-coating surface than galvanised steel.

After Oxygen and Silicon, Aluminium is the most abundant mineable element and is 100% recyclable so why wouldn’t we use it more?

Our Aluminium products are typically polyester powder-coated but can also be anodised.

You’ll find aluminium in our Aspect collection and decorative bollards.

Steel is our industry’s go-to material when strength and form are required. We typically use steels where structural strength or vandal-resistance is important.

Although steel famously oxidises and degrades very easily, when properly treated and maintained there’s no reason why our steel products shouldn’t last upwards of 20 years.

All steel components are either hot-dip galvanised or zinc-primed, and then polyester powder-coated where colour and an extra layer of protection are required

We can make most of our products in stainless steel where enhanced environmental resistance, or a premium finish is required.

Grade 304 is suitable for most street furniture applications however we would recommend increasing to grade 316 in coastal or other potentially corrosive environments. Litter bins may also benefit from a higher grade to minimise staining over time.

Our stainless steel products are typically supplied with a 320 Grit brushed finish, but can be shot-blasted and bright polished too.

Commonly referred to by its now defunct trademark name ‘COR-TEN’, weathering steel develops a self-sealing oxide patina when exposed to moisture. This layer is cyclically renewed over time providing decades of weather resistance without the concern of structural failure.

Weathering Steel’s bright orange oxide finish is not for everyone but is equally complementary to both industrial and natural settings, and those where long-term maintenance may be difficult.

The majority of our products can be made, or adapted to be made in weathering steel, and we will advise where it may not be suitable.

We commonly specify sapele, a readily available and robust tropical hardwood. It has an attractive reddish hue when milled, softening to a silvery grey when left exposed.

We also have extensive experience working with Iroko, Cumaru, Ekki and Oak, among others.

We do not stain or oil-treat our hardwood timbers for three main reasons:

1. Oil treatment can make recycling/repurposing difficult, and incineration dangerous.

2. Fast-drying industrial oil treatments are not healthy for our assembly staff due to heavy metal content and VOCs.

3. The beautiful, freshly-oiled appearance only lasts 2-6 months outside unless continuously re-oiled, which in our experience just doesn’t happen.

For softwood we like to use redwood for it’s great machinability, good surface finish and structural performance relative to its cost. We’re also very keen on Scandinavian slow-grown pine, but haven’t had the right opportunities to use it much. Fancy it?

We also have extensive experience working with Douglas Fir, Larch, Southern Yellow Pine and Cedar, among others.

Where possible we will use pre-treated softwoods to increase the product’s lifespan, but will apply a weather-resistant finish if not. Softwoods are also suitable for staining and painting.

Bamboo is a fast-growing grass that locks away huge quantities of CO₂ and can be harvested for production every 4-5 years. Strips are pressed into high-density boards suitable for use with our products and we couldn’t be happier about it!

All our seating products are designed to work with our supplier’s standardised board profiles with little/no adaptation required, all we need is for you to order it and we’ll make it!

Bamboo can be supplied in a natural or ‘caramel’ stained finish.

A material with unlimited opportunities for form and finish. All items are cast in C40 grade concrete to achieve the best strength and highest quality finish. We can also supply items in High-Performance Concrete (HPC) where more delicate or lightweight forms are required.

Many coloured pigments are available, and we make sure these are evenly distributed throughout the entire mix, so if any damage or wear occurs, the concrete will retain it’s original colour. We commonly supply concrete in light grey, with an acid etched finish. Surfaces can also be treated to expose the aggregate or conversely highly polished on one or more surfaces.

Silicone forms can also be applied to the molds to achieve interesting textures such as , crinkled paper, ripples or geometric shapes. In fact you can imprint all sorts of patterns using anything from timber boards to fallen leaves (we don’t condone pulling leaves directly off living trees in the name of architecture.)