November 2020

For centuries timber products have provided a decorative touch when used as building materials, bringing their own special aesthetic character to architectural designs. As the world’s hardwood resources have come under increasing pressure and as the natural drawbacks of timber became more widely known, the composite building material industry began to search for ways to match the performance and look of natural timber while exceeding its all-weather performance.

Eva-Last’s market-leading ClipClad system set the standard for durable, low-maintenance composite cladding materials by revolutionising the way cladding worked – from easy installation to maintenance-free long-term performance.

Now, this innovative cladding system is undergoing the next phase of its evolution, including a change in name to VistaClad™

Constant innovation continues to drive change in building materials and how they are used. The destruction of forests for timber – particularly tropical hardwoods – is behind adaptation of other materials which can both resemble attractive wood finishes aesthetically but outperform timber in building applications.

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated global trends towards distributed workforces. For most employees post-lockdown, working from home has become the new normal, with fewer people needing to commute to offices – if at all.

Leading international bamboo-plastic composite (BPC) building products group Eva-Last® has appointed Kevin Bonner as Director for One-Step Distribution.

Composite decking products have come a long way since they were introduced as an alternative to timber boards. Cost competitiveness and performance have been the two main drivers of innovation in the market which have shaped composite products in the last two decades, and the value proposition of composite materials has created an undeniable market shift.