Composite timber profiles from Innowood Australia Pty Ltd helped meet the design objectives of the architects at the Sydney Wildlife Zoo. Located at Darling Harbour in the heart of Sydney City, the Sydney Wildlife Zoo is a popular family attraction.

Installed at the zoo in 2006, Innowood’s composite timber profiles continue to remain structurally strong and durable without requiring any maintenance.

During the execution of the project, the architects had originally specified the use of recycled natural hardwood timber for the facade. However, the weight of hardwood timber created significant structural challenges for the design and engineering of the facade. Additionally, it wasn’t possible at the time to source the large quantities of timber required for the project in Australia.

Innowood supplied composite timber extruded into hollow profiles, with the light weight of the profile making it an ideal solution for the project. The lighter composite wood profile not only reduced the facade’s weight by up to 70 per cent but also maintained the natural hardwood timber look desired by the architects.

Innowood’s specially developed clipping system allowed the panels to be simply clipped into place without the need for visible screws and nails. This streamlined the installation process and delivered significant cost savings to the client.

The composite timber facade matched the texture, finish and colour of the architects’ initial design objectives for the zoo. The success of the Sydney Wildlife Zoo project propelled Innowood’s composite timber product into the building industry, where it continues to be used today for a variety of applications to achieve sustainability, durability and longevity as well as visual appeal without the inherent challenges of timber.