With the construction of his holiday home on the eastern shore of Lake Garda, the client, a Bolzano-based architect, created a symbiosis between traditional construction methods using conventional building materials and innovative materials. Thus, the attached cube was given a modern facade made of wood composite materials. The choice fell on the Creative XL facade profiles in graphite gray. Compact honeycomb plus decking, another product from NaturinForm, was used on the terrace. In the same color as the facade, it perfectly fits the outdoor area.

In the heart of Bardolino, Italy, surrounded by vineyards and just a few kilometers from the lively town center, an architect from Bolzano owns a charming holiday home. In 2017, he had the almost 60-year-old cottage demolished, and a new holiday home with an attached cube and roof terrace was built on the foundations. The new building blends seamlessly into the existing ensemble of neighboring houses; at the same time, the cube-shaped extension, with its panoramic windows and modern facade cladding, makes a clear statement: The owner desired a symbiosis between traditional construction using conventional building materials and innovative materials – and chose the Creative XL facade elements in graphite gray from the NaturinForm portfolio.

Contemporary architecture with NaturinForm facade elements

The holiday home is located along with 67 other residential units in a holiday complex built in the 1960s. They all had a similar floor plan, the same architectural style, and a uniform size of approximately 50 square meters. "A recently enacted law to promote construction activity made it possible to expand the cubature, or volume, of a building during demolition and reconstruction," explains the owner. This legislation made it possible to increase the building mass by 70 percent. The building, which has a basement and is located on a 300 square meter plot, now has 90 square meters of living space. The concept called for the new building to be visually adapted to the character of the complex, while also giving it a contemporary architectural touch and design language through the extension. Cladding the extension with NaturinForm facade elements made an effective contribution here. In addition to the visual modernity, the material's typical properties, such as low maintenance costs, durability, colorfastness, and weather resistance,were the decisive arguments in favor of NaturinForm's wood composite material.

Insulated concrete wall plus ventilated facade
 

The team at Prugger Carpentry in Ortisei (South Tyrol) appreciated the material's ease of application. The craftsmen installed the Creative XL facade cladding on a total area of 70 square meters. The company from Val Gardena specializes in the construction of roof trusses, barns, alpine huts, and exterior and interior facades; other areas of activity include balconies and terraces, as well as wooden houses. The craftsmen first attached an insulation layer plus a vapor diffusion mat to the concrete and masonry shell wall before attaching the wooden battens. The facade profiles were then installed on this substructure using the included fastening clamps.

Creative XL: Weather-resistant and low-maintenance

Due to its low polymer content, the wood-based material used in the facade profiles is weather-resistant and extremely easy to clean – and therefore extremely low-maintenance. The high wood content of the slats, with their patented, individual wood grain, ensures an aesthetic and natural appearance. Creative XL consists of a solid rhombus strip with a covering dimension of 99 millimeters and can be installed both horizontally and vertically. NaturinForm offers the facade profile in standard lengths of four and six meters, and custom lengths are also available upon request. The exterior cladding made of the high-quality wood-based material is used as a ventilated facade. During installation, the rhombus strips are laid on a wooden substructure with a tongue and groove connection, creating a flat surface with a closed, windproof joint without any visible assembly.

Facade and terrace: One material – multiple applications

While ceramic tiles were laid on the roof terrace, Compact honeycomb plus in graphite gray was used for the almost 17-square-meter garden terrace. Firstly, because its color and surface perfectly match the facade, and secondly, the client appreciates the easy maintenance of the wood composite material, not only for the straightforward installation but also for the terrace. Therefore, the robust and low-maintenance material was also quickly used for the cladding of the front door and the large entrance gate.
Compact honeycomb plus is a lightweight honeycomb-profile plank with a choice of a finely grooved side or block stripes; both are lightly brushed for increased grip and slip resistance. With the block stripe surface used here, the flooring promises – according to TÜV Rheinland – a high level of slip resistance, R10 according to DIN 51130. Furthermore, thanks to their technical refinement, the planks guarantee a high degree of surefootedness. Unlike wood, flooring made of wood composite material does not splinter. With a maximum length of up to 13 meters, a thickness of 21 millimeters, and a reversible surface, they are versatile. The wood composite material is particularly easy to maintain; unlike conventional wood planks, NaturinForm planks do not require oiling or painting, and yet they do not splinter or crack. Cleaning is completely straightforward with water.

Modern material also scores points when it comes to sustainability

With its tested and certified wood-based material, consisting of a ratio of 70 percent wood to 30 percent polymer, NaturinForm offers an ideal composite material. As with all floorboards, the facade solutions also benefit from the many outstanding material properties of the wood-plastic blend. This material combination also benefits this contemporary material in terms of sustainability. NaturinForm uses only wood fibers from domestic and sustainable forestry (PEFC-certified wood suppliers) to manufacture its wood composite materials. The wood fibers are a byproduct of the wood processing industry, meaning no trees are felled for their production. This makes this material an extremely environmentally and climate-friendly product that is also 100 percent recyclable. After use, the company takes back the boards wherever possible and returns them to the production process.

All NaturinForm floorboards and façade profiles are subject to Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) prepared in accordance with international standards. All products are subjected to continuous quality controls and stress tests to ensure consistently flawless and first-class wood-based material quality. The company offers a five-year warranty on its products.