When you think nature, parks, and professional botanical gardens especially, you think of environment-friendly ecosystems where surely, any manmade structures and nature must work together in harmony.
And it stands to reason that if you are going to produce an eco-friendly environment, the products you use for any manmade structures within that environment should also be eco-friendly.
Boat deck in Geelong Botanic Gardens
This is one of the reasons why NewTechWood composite decking was chosen for the lookout deck area at the entrance of the Geelong Botanic Gardens in East Geelong, involving some 100m2 of high-traffic commercial public use area. The deck itself was designed to mimic a boat deck, looking out across the wetland area of the botanical gardens.
This botanical garden has an impressive heritage. The Government of the day in 1851 set land aside at the edge of the Geelong settlement for its development, and over the past 150 years, the 200 acres chosen became the Eastern Park and the Geelong Botanic Gardens.
Both now enjoy officially recognised heritage value and are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. The beautiful Geelong Botanic Gardens, which is free for the public to enjoy, conserves plants from around the world.
Environment-friendly solution for Victorian heritage place
Clearly, the environment and conservation are key factors that are the driving force behind the Botanic Gardens. So, when the Geelong City Council approached Adam Cromer from Cromer Builders, both Adam and Ryan from local NewTechWood resellers Barwon Timber & Hardware, naturally suggested using composite alternatives to replace the existing deck.
Not only because of the composite’s environment-friendliness but also because of its durability and longevity without the regular maintenance required by real wood.
NewTechWood’s commercial grade composite decking, US49H in colour Blackbutt, was chosen to replace the existing natural blackbutt decking that had deteriorated and was splintering – unfortunately, a natural occurrence with natural timber.
A sad fact of life is not only are precious forests cut down for natural timber decking, but also that decking does not enjoy a long life, and its longevity demands ongoing expensive and time-consuming maintenance. This also presents challenges for public space decks where maintenance ultimately inconveniences the public.
Composite blackbutt instead of timber blackbutt
There are a few top-quality composite decking brands on the market, and of all the options, NewTechWood’s commercial range was eventually selected for its realistic timber-look colour aesthetics, high P5 Slip rating compliance, BAL 29 rating, and generous commercial warranty.
In addition to which, being composite with its low to no maintenance in comparison to natural wood, plus no fading, warping or splintering, its selection was a no-brainer.
This decking is manufactured to withstand Australia’s harsh and varied conditions and is fully sealed around all four sides with NewTechWood’s internationally renowned Polymer capping; it also features a specially designed hard-cap embossed finish using the latest technology to offer supreme scratch and stain resistance and extreme longevity in commercial applications.
Hard-capped finish for extreme longevity in public spaces
Its sustainability and environment-friendliness were simply the icing on the cake and a perfect match for the magnificent botanical gardens.
NewTechWood’s commercial decking is available in two sizes. The board chosen and supplied by Barwon Timber for this Geelong Botanic Gardens deck upgrade project was the US49H, a grooved edge solid deck board, 138mm x 25mm in 5.4m lengths.
The Geelong City Council was very pleased with their new deck and is looking at using NewTechWood again when upgrading other parts of the botanical gardens and other areas around Geelong, and Barwon Timber will be there to support them.
Meantime, if you are lucky enough to live in this part of the world, make sure you take your family to visit the incredible public botanical gardens and enjoy the many treats on offer. And if you would like more information on NewTechWood’s commercial ranges, visit the website here.
Project details
Project: Geelong Botanic Gardens
Location: East Geelong, Victoria
Project Type: Commercial
Designer: Geelong City Council, Victoria
Supplier: Barwon Timber & Hardware, Breakwater, Geelong, Victoria
Product: NewTechWood US49H Composite Decking in Blackbutt Colour
Application: Lookout Deck
Area: 109sqm
