Having Fun With AluPanel (plus installation time lapse)

It's not often private residential projects come up, as the materials we generally produce aren't necessarily conducive to in-home applications. However once in a while something comes up where we can have a lot of fun in the design and installation, while also solving a problem.

In the case of this particular client, they'd had a new fence installed which did not fit the council regulations for safety around their pool. Additionally, having a 2 year old daughter made them very keen to have a solution put together that would brighten up their yard, be an interesting and unique addition to their home, while also ensuring the safety of their little one.

Custom installation around the glass pool fence

We went over quite a few options before deciding that AluPanel (also known as CompPanel, SkyBond, AluBond etc) would be the most cost effective and appropriate option.

During the design phase we had mocked up quite a few bright and visually pleasing concepts including a Moroccan tile motif, a Grotto type theme, before eventually agreeing that a repeating pattern which would tesselate with itself infinitely would be something simple and effective.

We worked with the client perusing iStock, Shutterstock and other photographic resources, when we stumbled upon the tropical bird repeating pattern - what a theme to go with their cabana style yard layout and pool area! Tropics in your home!

Close up of the repeating pattern

The installation presented it's challenges, however nothing some on-site customising couldn't solve. Anything is possible with the right tools and expertise.

You've seen the photos, now watch the video of the team! Music by Dave Hammer - https://soundcloud.com/hammerproducer

Campbell Arnott's New Culinary Centre Dressed-Up By ScrimWorks

Recently Next was awarded the construction of Campbell Arnott's Culinary Centre at their iconic head office site in North Strathfield which included a new 'Culinary Centre' featuring test and demonstration kitchens. This project also incorporated an employee breakout area with lounge, table seating and meeting spaces with the end goal of uniting staff within a common area for all in the facility to enjoy.

A major refurbishment of this scale, conducted in a live and operational environment, is a huge accomplishment. Entering into the design phase, morphing into construction, and subsequently completing and handing over the project all the while within a fully functioning facility is no easy feat. The results of the project show the intense planning, management and execution.

Contour cut Culinary Centre graphic upon entry made with glittery gold

As alternative light was recommended by Next, a confronting architectural challenge ensued. The extension endured Herculean works to support a monstrous glazed façade and roof to allow not only the first floor of the building to be supported, but the immense amount of glazing to empower such a volume of light into the area.

ScrimWorks were trusted to head up the graphics side of this project, and after a single site visit the light permeation was an obvious theme within the space – with a glass roof and glass walls there’s no way you can miss it!

Our challenge involved no such mathematics or consideration; the decision was simply to harness the light to improve an image. The images were our challenge.
Partnering both Campbell Arnott’s and Next, we were able to design and execute a heritage themed series of graphics paying homage to the businesses legacy, while acknowledging a modernised and technical space.

The glow of natural light permeating through the backlit material of the Operable Wall

For the “Operable Wall” (a fully mobile wall separating the new Culinary Centre and the Breakout Area), we decided on two heritage images from the birth of the businesses – horses and carts. Heritage photographs are typically difficult to work with due to resolution issues, however half toning provides unlimited potential. We used the same concept for the Breakout Area wall which you can see a video of below – however a blown up and half toned photograph of one of their original production facilities in Newcastle Australia, also with their team at the time lined up out front! A very rare image. This provided a stylised aesthetic, which brings the grassroots family aspects of the beginnings of the businesses forward into a new common area that everyone can enjoy in modern times.

Staff member 'crew photo' in a half tone design featured in the Breakout Area

There was also a feature floor graphic as part of the main Staff Area. Arnott’s suggested a vintage tin lid with a relic design on there from their archives, a very cool idea. We were very careful having this artefact professionally photographed by product photography specialist Roman Wolczak. The colours came up ultra vibrant after some quick re-touching at the ScrimWorks Studio, and we were ready to lay it down! 

Professionally photographed antique biscuit tin for the floor graphic

Materials used were all top quality from Avery Dennsion, of course – ranging from a matte laminated backlit film for the Operable Wall (to give the light through the glazing a warm glowing effect), a matte laminated permanent SAV for the Breakout Area, and a permanent SAV with a special non-slip laminate for the floor, ensuring safety and a lasting finish.

Take a look at the photographs throughout the post, and take a look at the video to see ScrimWorks installation process for this project.

ScrimWorks demonstrating a swift installation of some printed Self Adhesive Vinyl at the Arnott's head office. What you don't see is where we have painted the wall with a prep coating which ensures the adhesive on the substrate sticks to the wall for years to come.

The 2 Imperatives of Vinyl Hoarding Skins (Part 2): Installation

In our first instalment, we looked at the importance of design in engaging pedestrians, and drawing interest into your imagery and messages, creating an important marketing tool for your business and development.

Installation is so important to the image of the brand and the message that it’s conveying – developments obviously cost considerable amounts of money, so you’d be out of your mind to misrepresent, or settle for second best.

Here is the second instalment of the 2 imperatives for making an otherwise boring, brutalist hoarding into an informative, artistically pleasing, branded and cleanly installed point of engagement.

All you’ll need is a good Impact Driver, as many fixings for one every 500-1000mm, a tape, and a pry bar. Here’s how:

Pry Bar, Impact Driver, Fixing Bits, Hex Head Metal Tek Screws are all you need.

1. Ensure you’ve gotten your measurements correct! Check the height of the Hoarding, and how the Vinyl Skin is going to fit on (don’t forget we need to allow a little extra space top and bottom to fit our sail track extrusion)
2. Run your first length of sail track along the top of where the skin will run. You’ll only need screws or fixings around every 1000mm apart
3. Take your skin, and run the top Kedar edge along the inside of the sail track, like a curtain (this is the fun part)
4. Run the sail track along the bottom edge and let it sit there for a bit, you’ll come back to this later
5. Run a length of sail track along a vertical edge of your choosing, and affix it to the hoarding, again fixings around 1000mm apart
6. Move to the opposite end of the skin, and slide in the other vertical length of sail track. Pull it as tight as you possibly can using your pry bar by pressing the elongated end between the track and the skin, applying your weight to the curved end of the bar, using this for leverage and extra tension. Once it’s as tight as you can possibly go, take your fixing and go into the hoarding – screw on an angle to get a few extra millimetres of stretch. You should notice that the skin has ripples running horizontally along it’s length – if it doesn’t, you need to go tighter
7. Working on the bottom, take your pry bar, and use the same technique just mentioned. Project your weight downwards, and angle your fixings downward as well. You’ll see that this is pulling out those horizontal ripples. You don’t want to over tension by putting too many fixings in though as this will create other ripples – less is more!
8. If there are any residual ripples, experiment with your pry bar to see where you can put a fixing
9. You’re done! If you do however see a few slight creases in the fabric (like an un-ironed shirt), don’t worry, some exposure to the sun will get those out.

Check out this time lapse of the ScrimWorks team using this technique for an amazing result.

You should now be a professional at design and installation – but if you ever need a hand or some insight, or someone to do all the work for you, get in touch with us and we’ll be more than happy to complete the design, print, and installation, start to finish. We love it.

The 2 Imperatives of Vinyl Hoarding Skins (Part 1): Design

In the Construction Industry there is a requirement to keep pedestrians safe and re-direct human traffic across footpath facing site elevations in a thoughtful and efficient way. In most cases, using Type A and Type B hoardings completes this.

Hoardings can become quite ugly, are not thoughtfully constructed, and don’t quite use the ‘blank space’ across the frontage of the site effectively.

Here are is the first instalment of the 2 imperatives for making an otherwise boring brutalist hoarding into an informative, artistically pleasing, branded and cleanly installed point of engagement.

Design

Simply being there visually is an advantage. Let’s take a look at a few numbers to better understand why visuals in design are important:

• It takes 13 milliseconds to see and form an interpretation of an image – whereas 60 seconds is the average time it takes to read 200-250 words.
• 50% of your brain is involved in visual processing
• 70% of all your sensory receptors are in your eyes
• Microsoft has conducted research showing that we have as little as 10 seconds to clearly communicate a proposition to gain engagement
• Wharton School of Business found a 17% uplift in engagement when a verbal only presentation was supported by images

Why are images so important? It’s all down to how our brains process information. Let’s keep it simple, and talk about why images are more important than words.

“A sentence is a collection of symbols, which when combined, conveys meaning.
An image is just one symbol that conveys meaning.”

Images are faster to process, faster to understand, easier to engage.

If you’re already in the construction phase – you’ve already got all the elements you need to complete an awesome design. Look back at your architectural renders, conceptual interior photos, jump on iStock or Getty to find additional images. Be sure that the images align with your target market as something that they desire or aspire to be. This imagery will set the platform and gain the initial attention of your pedestrians.

Only support using text, keep it simple, and say it how it is. Lists and point form are great ways of separating ideas, ensuring your message is clear and undiluted. If it’s residential, try to avoid price, if it’s commercial, add value in simple terms. Technology is our best friend – direct them to a website. Or, let the sales people do the selling via phone or in a meeting.

Oh, and don’t forget your brand, website, and contact details.

Made Agency based in Sydney nail visually engaging and informative designs

You should now be a professional at creating engaging designs – but if you ever need a hand or some insight, or someone to do all the work for you, get in touch with us and we’ll be more than happy to complete the design, print, and installation, start to finish. We love it.