Décortech is committed to ensuring the designer’s vision becomes the project’s reality.

The NZIA Western Architecture award-winning Whanganui Memorial Centre was a project specified with a rimu veneer finish to match the existing panelling. With rimu veneer being increasingly hard to get hold of, Décortech worked closely alongside BSM Group Architects and put forward alternative options to achieve the look required.

Décortech has a wide range of veneers and when rimu isn’t available other veneers such as Fijian Kauri and English Tawa provide alternative options. However, when rimu is the vision, the colour tones are what truly sets these veneers apart. Décortech has a wide range of custom stains which can be applied to their veneer and plywood range to achieve the desired colour tone.

After creating multiple custom samples with different stains applied to Firesafe Décorply plywood, the samples were presented to BSM Architects for approval.

Once approval was given and the control sample was chosen, Décortech manufactured over 350 panels of non-perforated and acoustic perforations to match. The panels are now installed and the rimu vision achieved making the walls and ceilings of the Whanganui Memorial Centre a show stopper.

“In the refurbishment aspects of the Whanganui War Memorial Centre, we faced a dilemma in finding sufficient quantities of rimu veneered ply for wall panelling and ceiling linings for aesthetic and acoustic performance," says Gerald Cogan, Director, BSM Group Architects. "We appreciated the willingness of the Décortech team to work with us to achieve a realistic finish using stained panels. Several iterations of stain were required to ensure we had the closest match to product originally installed. The end result is that at first glance there is no appreciable difference from the original aesthetic and the building interior stands as it did when originally opened.”

With Décortech's experience, they are committed to ensuring the designer's vision becomes a reality.