The external walling solution from Cemintel™ was selected as one of the building materials for the 2011 edition of Channel 9’s popular reality TV show, The Block.

The fourth season of The Block saw four couples competing against each other to renovate a property and sell it at auction, the winner determined by the highest price above reserve on auction day.

Cemintel was selected as the official building materials supplier for the show thanks to its wide range of high quality products. The program showcased a number of CSR brands, including Cemintel™ fibre cement, all used for the renovation of the four featured homes in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond.

CSR CEO Rob Sindel said that The Block offered the company a national platform to launch and showcase the new Cemintel Designer Series external walling solution.

According to Channel 9’s The Block architect, Julian Brenchley of Brenchley Architects, they were searching for an alternative method of achieving a horizontal ‘panelled’ façade appearance, which they found in the Cemintel Designer Series. An innovative range of durable, pre-finished fibre cement walling products, the Cemintel Designer Series is available in a variety of unique modern textures and colours that are easy to install and ideal for any façade application.

Julian explains that the pre-finished Designer Series offers a very important advantage, as it eliminates any need for paint trades or maintenance after installation. The fixing system essentially creates a ventilated second skin to the building, with the ventilated air gap between the structure and the outside façade reducing heat gain through to the internal spaces. Key benefits from the external walling solution include improved internal amenity for lightweight framed buildings, and simple installation.

Three of the four houses featured the Cemintel Designer Series. Julian adds that the Cemintel Designer Series offers endless design opportunities in commercial as well as residential construction. The fibre cement panels were installed by Stan Bailey from S E Constructions Pty Limited to the entire upper storey of the homes. Stan Bailey found the Cemintel Designer Series clip fix system very efficient to install, displaying accurate and clean lines.

Cemintel Designer Series

Cemintel Designer Series consists of five different styles of textured panels in a range of colours:the ultramodern i-Cube, Textured, Slimline, Woodgrain and Smooth. Smooth has a choice of two different coloured panels: Mocha and Cream. Cemintel Designer Series offers designers and builders the opportunity to easily create unique building designs. The Cemintel Designer Series can also be used as a viable option to traditional construction materials such as brick, or to complement existing finishes.