Leading designer and maker of contemporary lighting, David Trubridge, has made use of MEDITE® TRICOYA® EXTREME in an innovative outdoor lighting installation
in Rotorua on New Zealand’s North Island.
The Nightlights project is the country’s fi rst design-led tourism experience and consists of 30 2.5m tall beautifully designed lantern-style lights. The lights have been masterfully installed above Rotorua’s Redwood Treewalk, a suspended walkway which weaves throughthe impressive trees of Rotorua’s Redwood Forest.
David Trubridge’s design, which takes inspiration fromthe native birds of New Zealand, required a material that delivered an impactful presence, yet was also durable
enough to withstand changing outdoor weather conditions and resist any fungal decay.
MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME was perfectly suited to this application given its durability, excellent machinability properties and its 50 year guarantee when used in external environments. A permanent project, the lighting is expected to be installed for up to twenty years and should contribute to boosting eco-tourism to the Rotorua
area.
Ben Pearce, Head of Marketing at David Trubridge, said,“MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME was identified to us by Scion, a research lab that we work with in New Zealand.
We are always getting asked for outdoor lights in our style and here at last is a material we can use. As it’s a wood-based product, it has the right balance of beauty
and practicality, such as easy-to-replace panels should a tree branch fall onto it.”
With David Trubridge already a well-established name in the designer indoor lighting market, the brand now plans to design a range of smaller sized outdoor lighting
products for the commercial market.
“We were so impressed by the use of the material on the large project that we’re trialling it with our signature kitset range, which has typically been used for our internal lighting features.
“Smaller external lights were fl own to Milan design week to gauge interest and show off our potential new range. They’re actually now hanging in David’s garden for field testing in preparation for furtherproduction soon.”
David Trubridge’s stunning lights are therefore perfect at showcasing the unique properties of MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME and the benefi ts of the patented acetylation technology. “In the context of the Rotorua Redwood Forest, where MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME is
being used to enhance the natural environment, it’s also very rewarding to know that the raw material is both sustainably sourced and certified and that the
modification process is non-toxic and environmentallycompatible.”
The giant lanterns adorning Rotorua’s Redwood Forest are a sight to behold and are the latest example of the diversity of timber panel applications.
David Trubridge is hoping to develop the exterior range of its kitsets shortly once fi eld, or garden, tests have been completed.
