Cortex - Exterior Cladding System

We created a programme to provide greater margins and to develop a relationship with the end consumer that had the potential to deliver a more sustainable value chain for the future. Cortex was the first end consumer product for the forestry enterprise Pacific Wood Products. Locus Research worked in partnership with PWP to develop to understand the consumer, develop and test the products and take them into the market.

Research selected the exterior cladding as an effective market to enter, and determined that customers were looking for a lower maintenance solution and builders were looking for a systemised product with a low risk of failure.

Stability was an area of ongoing concern for builders and contractors with timber cladding. This was considered a result of poor materials processing, handling and installation detailing. Often poor quality documentation of the products further aggravated the situation and non-systemised detailing made installation time consuming.

The team chose to focus on developing a 100% Factory Finished weatherboard product (the first to market). This addressed the issue of maintenance by providing a consistent 120 micron coating in production, which dramatically reduced the volume of paint required over its life span. A concealed fixing system enabled assembly without the penetration of the exposed face, increasing both strength and durability (and providing a patented point of difference).

A series of proprietary extrusions provided systemised detailing for all key interfaces improving weather-tightness and ease of installation. Sustainable design underpinned the product development, complementing the clients existing commitment to sustainability through Forest Stewardship Certification (FSC) of its own forest estate and chain of custody.