ExoTec façade panels from James Hardie Australia were installed on the exterior of a new architect-designed fire station in the heart of suburban Perth. The fire-resistant façade was achieved by installing ExoTec panels and fixing system as a substrate for the prefinished Bisschops Panel express jointed cladding system.
Housing state-of-the-art facilities, the new Vincent Fire Station stands out for its striking exterior. The $19 million fire station provides emergency services to Perth’s CBD and surrounding areas and was built in response to the city’s increasing population.
The construction began in January 2017 with the project given a challenging turnaround time, keeping in mind the needs of the Perth community that the fire station would serve.
The dramatic façade on the building’s street-facing exterior features beautiful lines and simple shapes with the unique finish achieved by utilising Bisschops Panel cladding with James Hardie’s ExoTec façade panel and fixing system as its substrate.
Key requirements for the building’s façade material included the capacity to withstand exposure to elements in a public space, and ease of installation and maintenance, while achieving a high quality appearance. The express jointed cladding system Bisschops Panel with James Hardie ExoTec substrate met all of these specifications.
"Prefinished Bisschops Panel was approved due to its many benefits including its 15-year warranty, easy cleaning, graffiti resistance and ease of installation utilising the James Hardie D3 1000 fixing system," says Michael West of Oldfield Knott Architects.
Style or design principles were not compromised with the adoption of ExoTec, says Commarc Industries, since the panels come in a variety of sizes and thicknesses and can be custom cut for optimal visual impact, creating a clean stylish finish, which is resilient to the harshest of climates.
