“...We put the thought of all that we love into all that we make.” Elves of Lothlorien - JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
ROCKCOTE Clay Plaster Décor by Recommended Render. Photography: Ross Eason. Cover image: ROCKCOTE Marrakesh bathroom by artisan Shannon Whitehill. Photography: Ross Eason.
Contents 04 We Believe
16-17 Natural Renders Range
05 Naturally Beautiful Buildings
18 Earthen Render Medium
06 Finish Types
19 Earthen Render Coarse
07 Undulations
20 Lime Plaster Basecote
08-09 Decorative Finishes Range 10 Otsumigaki 11 Clay Plaster Décor 12 Marrakesh 13 Venetian Plaster 14-15 Decorative Finishes Case Study: Etsu Izakaya
22-23 Natural Renders Case Study: Hotel Hotel, Canberra
24-25 Natural Paints Range 26 Clay Paint 27 Lime Wash 28-29 Natural Paints Case Study: Natural Designer Homes
“We believe... ...we should live and work in tune with nature, in buildings built in accordance with her laws, emulating her designs, harnessing her natural energy flows and respecting her limits. ...buildings should celebrate life over sterility, restraint over extravagance, beauty over tawdriness. ...finishes should not poison the air with fumes nor the soul with artificiality. ...in crafting spaces that delight when entered, embody serenity when occupied and create regret upon departure.
...We believe that people thrive when living close to nature.” 4
Natural Materials
Naturally Beautiful Buildings The ROCKCOTE Natural Materials range draws inspiration from nature to provide beautiful natural interior and exterior finishes that don’t compromise your health or the environment. With the increasing awareness of eco-building techniques alongside the desire to make our homes healthier, the benefits of using traditional natural renders and paints are being rediscovered. By working with natural clay materials, natural lime and renewables like straw, hemp, bamboo, wheat and even volcanic ash, we are reviving ancient skills and building practices to create unique, appealing, natural aesthetics. The natural breathable plasters and paints can be used on a wide variety of wall surfaces, including traditional and eco-build materials like cob, straw bale and stone, as well as modern plasterboard and concrete surfaces, with stunning results.
Clay Plaster Décor with Straw, Noosa Pengari Steiner School, Queensland
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FINISH TYPES Below is a guide to the finishes available with ROCKCOTE Natural Materials. Refer to the product pages for the finishes that can be achieved with each product.
GLASS: A reflective, highly polished finish, also described as a mirror finish. A slightly iridescent mother-of-pearl look can also be achieved with some products. Products: Venetian Plaster, Otsumigaki, Marrakesh.
LUSTRE: A slight sheen or glow that reflects a soft light at different angles. Products: Otsumigaki, Marrakesh.
SMOOTH: In the middle – more open than “Lustre” and more closed and smoother to touch than “Rustic”. Finish may feature variations in areas that are more open or more closed. Products: Clay Plaster Décor, Lime Plaster Basecote, Marrakesh, Otsumigaki and Earthen Render Medium.
RUSTIC: A tactility of finish – feel and see the character of each grain. Products: Earthen Render Medium and Coarse, Lime Pl.aster Basecote, Clay Plaster Decor and Otsumigaki.
EARTHEN: A rough, heavily textured finish with a very open, coarse grain. Products: Earthen Render Coarse.
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Natural Materials
UNDULATIONS The artisans who work with natural materials are able to create a variety of undulating finishes depending on the type of space you desire and the material used. There are three levels of undulation:
LEVEL FINISH: Flat, consistent and level finish. Products: Marrakesh, Venetian Plaster, Otsumigaki, Clay Plaster Décor.
LIGHTLY UNDULATING: Slightly wavy with 1-3 mm variations. Products: Marrakesh, Otsumigaki, Clay Plaster Décor, Earthen Render Medium, Lime Plaster Basecote.
HEAVILY UNDULATING: Appearance of visible waves and undulations so that the surface has high points and low points of 3mm & above. Products: Earthen Render Medium & Coarse, Lime Plaster Basecote, Clay Plaster Décor.
FINISH TYPES AND UNDULATIONS IN ACTION Using the finish types and undulations explained above, here is how to describe two very different looks.
POLISHED CONCRETE LOOK
TUSCAN LOOK
DESCRIPTION: smooth, seamless, highly polished look.
DESCRIPTION: Uneven roughly finished, rustic, wall reminiscent of an old farm house or bakery.
FINISH TYPE: Lustre or glass; glass if looking for super high polished look.
FINISH TYPE: Rustic or Earthen.
UNDULATION: Level Finish. ROCKCOTE PRODUCTS USED: Marrakesh, Venetian Plaster, Otsumigaki.
UNDULATION: Lightly or heavily undulating. ROCKCOTE PRODUCTS USED: Earthen Render Coarse or Earthen Render Medium, Clay Plaster Décor.
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DECORATIVE FINISHES RANGE ROCKCOTE’s Decorative Finishes range creates limitless possibilities for natural aesthetics - from a traditional organic, clay plaster look right up to the most modern polished plaster finishes. All products are completely natural, free of dangerous chemicals and produce no odours or residual offgassing. They have low embodied energy (energy necessary for the entire product life-cycle) and are fully recyclable which means they can be returned to the earth after use. Clay and lime finishes can also be positive for psychological well-being. They are inherently sensuous, meaning they enliven the senses and bring us back into contact with the natural world.
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Natural Materials
Venetian Plaster ceiling by Artisan Mark Kennedy, Gold Coast Queensland. Photography: Ross Eason.
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Otsumigaki ROCKCOTE Otsumigaki is an extremely versatile product that allows the skilled artisan to achieve a wide range of stunning decorative effects for interiors. A polished earthen lime finish, Otsumigaki can be used in interior high traffic areas such as entrances, stairwells and halls where a durable finish is desired. The beauty of Otsumigaki lies in its ability to create textural depth in a smooth, flat surface. Create a dreamy feature wall in its natural colour mixed with oxides and lightly polished to give warmth, depth and lustre. Otsumigaki has a subtle elegance that gives walls life yet allows the surrounding elements in the space to speak for themselves.
Otsumigaki Information: Use: Interior Film Build: 1-2mm Colour: Soft white. Can be tinted with coloured oxides Finishes: Rustic, Smooth and Lustre Undulations: Level, Lightly Undulating, Heavily Undulating
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Natural Materials
“Buildings that celebrate life over sterility, restraint over extravagance, beauty over tawdriness.”
Clay Plaster Décor ROCKCOTE Clay Plaster Décor is a truly beautiful fine finishing clay plaster with built-in marble dust that glistens in the presence of ambient light. An earthen-look plaster with a smooth finish, Clay Plaster Décor adds a textural warmth to the interior of any building - from a traditional straw bale home to the most elegant modern building. Dry, clean, chopped wheat straw, hemp hurd, rice husks, quartz chips, marble chips and shells can be added to create beautiful and unique effects.
Clay Plaster Décor Information: Use: Interior Film Build: 2-4mm Colour: Soft white. Can be tinted with coloured oxides Finishes: Rustic or Smooth Undulations: Level, Lightly Undulating, Heavily Undulating
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Marrakesh Create a traditional Tadelakt or Moroccan plaster finish with ROCKCOTE Marrakesh. Can also be finished to a traditional flat lime plaster; or for a contemporary look can be used to achieve a glass face marble plaster. Create a seamless bathroom where the smooth curve of one element flows into another, evoking a sense of ease and continuity not felt in a standard bathroom. Marrakesh allows the artisan to create an individual work of art on any wall or room within the home. Many different styles of finish can be achieved by using different trowels, floats, sponges and finishing techniques.
Marrakesh bathroom, Springbrook, Queensland by Recommended Render
Marrakesh Information: Use: Interior and exterior Film Build: 2-3mm as a finish coat Colour: Can be tinted to a wide range of colours with oxides Finishes: Rustic, Smooth, Lustre or Glass Undulations: Level, Lightly Undulating, Heavily Undulating
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Natural Materials
Venetian Plaster ROCKCOTE Venetian Plaster produces a reflective, highly polished plaster finish, also described as a mirror finish. Create a stunning smooth surface with the illusion of depth and texture for interior, exterior, bathrooms, feature walls, columns and ceilings. Venetian Plaster is ideal for crafting the polished cement render or polished concrete render industrial look made popular by urban cafes and restaurants and now featuring in distinctive architecturally designed homes and makeovers. Venetian Plaster is especially useful for columns and walls where the appearance and feel of marble is sought and can achieve the light-reflective, lustrous properties of marble without the weight.
Venetian Plaster feature wall in Bundaberg, Queensland by artisan Ray Hall
Venetian Plaster Information: Use: Interior and exterior Film Build: 0.5-2mm Colour: Soft white. Can be tinted to a wide range of colours with oxides Finishes: Glass Undulations: Smooth
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Decorative Finishes Case Study
ETSU IZAKAYA The chaos of Japanese dining “Loud, bustly and a little bit chaotic” is how
played a big part in the overall experience, and
Mitchell McCluskey, co-owner of the Etsu Izakaya
where people were brought together by
restaurant at Mermaid Beach describes the
communal eating.
new venue.
“Izakaya venues are big in New York and becoming
Inspired by traditional Japanese izakaya bars where
more popular in Sydney. Before we launched we
men gathered after work to sit around, talk, eat
researched the style of the Sydney spaces and
and drink sake, the Gold Coast’s newest dining
drew on our experience of snowboarding in Japan
venue has certainly captured the same intensity of a
every year,” Mitchell said.
frenetic Japanese eating place.
A key aspect of the transformation from a fish
Mitchell McCluskey and his wife Nerissa are already
and chip shop to the Gold Coast’s most unusual
well known on the Gold Coast for their café,
Japanese restaurant was the bar which was always
Commune. For this venture, they wanted something
going to be the most dominant feature, taking up
a little different – a restaurant where the decor
half the width of the space.
“We wanted texture, cracks and different colours throughout and the Marrakesh has delivered exactly the look we sought.” - Mitchell McCluskey, Etsu Izakaya
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Natural Materials
“We wanted the biggest bar in the world where
Outside, the restaurant stands out from its
people could sit, drink, snack and chat as well as
neighbours with recycled timber and old barn
talk to staff behind the bar. So the first thing was
doors. At night, a red lantern is hung outside to
to figure out the bar area and the rest literally took
indicate that Etsu Izakaya is open for business.
shape around that.”
According to Mitchell, people walking past are
“We just love concrete spaces and bars. They look interesting – big, solid and unyielding. We wanted
intrigued by the light and the music coming from inside, peeking in to have a look.
texture, cracks and different colours throughout
Guests are welcomed to the venue from a
and the Marrakesh has delivered exactly the look
geometric nook that is also finished in ROCKCOTE
we sought.”
Marrakesh, its horizontal lines carrying the eye to
The remainder of the interiors are finished in
the large bar and slightly chaotic scene beyond.
concrete, veneer and recycled timber. A tree sourced from council forms the centerpiece of the main dining area. Murals of a bonsai tree and Japanese street art painted by a local artist adorn the walls.
PROJECT DETAILS: - 11 metre long ROCKCOTE Marrakesh bar
Artisan: Michael Symington, ilfe
- Tinted with black oxides for a concrete colour
Photography: Ross Eason
- Finished with ROCKCOTE Carnauba Wax to give a semi-polished look and protect the surface
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NATURAL RENDERS ROCKCOTE’s Natural Renders are authentic earthen renders made from clay and lime, compatible with modern and traditional construction methods. Our Natural Renders impart a textural warmth, honesty and authenticity, naturally. ROCKCOTE Natural Renders contain no cement and are free of dangerous chemicals. The natural composition also means that they can play an active role in improving internal air quality. Their thirst for moisture means they regulate humidity creating a clean, fresh, wholesome indoor environment. Natural Renders are very forgiving, easy to apply and can be used for entire walls, feature walls or creative projects such as fireplace surrounds.
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Natural Materials
ROCKCOTE Earthen Render Coarse fireplace surround, Springbrook, Queensland by Recommended Render. Photography: Ross Eason.
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Earthen Render Medium ROCKCOTE Earthen Render Medium is formulated to create a natural earth plaster finish over modern substrates. The medium formulation is produced without the coarse aggregates in Earthen Render Coarse, making it more suitable for use in conventional buildings where a smoother textured look is desired. ROCKCOTE Earthen Render is the ideal choice for architects seeking a natural clay render for use in commercial developments. High durability and ease of maintenance make it a perfect product for hotels (such as the Hotel Hotel Canberra), cinema and theatre foyers, and day spas. Its tactility, warmth and earthy tones add a stunning natural aesthetic that brings a sense of relaxation and ease to any space. In modern homes, Earthen Render Medium can be used to create unique seamless fireplace surrounds and textured feature walls.
Earthen Render Medium walls, Hotel Hotel Canberra by artisan Paul Geach
Earthen Render Medium Information: Use: Interior Film Build: 4-8mm Colour: Earthy loam. Can be tinted to a range of earthy colours Finishes: Earthen or Rustic Undulations: Level, Lightly Undulating, Heavily Undulating
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Natural Materials
Earthen Render Coarse ROCKCOTE Earthen Render Coarse is a hard, durable render developed for straw bale buildings and other natural substrates. Our most heavily textured natural material, Earthen Render Coarse is a true earthen render that is applied in thick coats to deliver an authentic rustic, natural clay finish. Designed as a base coat render that can be overcoated with Lime Wash, Otsumigaki, Clay Plaster Décor, Venetian Plaster or Marrakesh. Earthen Render Coarse is also ideal as a final finishing coat for straw bale projects as a nice, even 3-4mm finishing coat, offering consistency of product, ease of application and a more even finished coat.
Earthen Render Coarse with straw, Earthen Home, Eumundi Queensland
Earthen Render Coarse Information: Use: Interior base coat render or as a finishing coat for straw bale projects Film Build: 6-10mm Colour: Earthy loam. Can be tinted to a range of earthy colours Finishes: Earthen or Rustic Undulations: Level, Lightly Undulating, Heavily Undulating
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Lime Plaster Basecote Lime Plaster Basecote is designed as a base coat but like most ROCKCOTE natural materials, has a multitude of finishes and uses. Being a true lime render, ROCKCOTE Lime Plaster Basecote is perfect as an undercoat for ROCKCOTE Marrakesh, Lime Wash and Venetian Plaster. ROCKCOTE Lime Plaster Basecote can be used both interior and exterior including wet areas such as bathrooms and laundries due to its breathability and mould resistance. It will comply with regulations on the refurbishment and repair of heritage listed and architecturally sensitive buildings due to its traditional lime and sand formulation (contains no cement like some similar products). Suitable for entire buildings where a textured lime finish is required as well as for facades and fine decorative work.
Lime Plaster Basecote Information: Use: Interior and exterior Film Build: 2-4mm Colour: Designed as a base coat but can be tinted with oxides Finishes: Earthen or Rustic Undulations: Level, Lightly Undulating, Heavily Undulating
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Natural Materials
ROCKCOTE Earthen Render Coarse by artisan Bob Cameron. Photography: Ross Eason.
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Natural Render Case Study
Hotel Hotel, Canberra When curator Don Cameron observes guests
“Comfortability, relatability, always a work in
entering the carefully created rooms of Canberra’s
progress. A place for introspection. A textural
Hotel Hotel, he senses they struggle to find the
experience. A certain quality of dappled light. A
vocabulary to explain exactly what they see.
sense of items being brought from somewhere else
Every surface and object in each of the hotel’s 68
– collected, assembled and given new meaning.”
rooms was consciously designed, sourced and
These are the key elements that Don sought to
created to celebrate natural materials.
inspire each room of this unique hotel that takes up
“The starting point was a shack – to create something that belonged to this quintessentially
three floors of the Nishi Building in the NewActon cultural precinct.
Australian vernacular. I explored what that
“Texture was the biggest challenge and one that
could mean and how to translate the intent…”
would make the most sense in conveying the
Don said.
essence of the theme – raw, rustified luxury. Finding the materials to speak that language was key.”
“I wanted an unadorned approach to the materials in the rooms – presented and celebrated in their most natural state.”
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Natural Materials
In keeping with the environmental commitment
“I was looking for a render that had a raw, textural
of the entire precinct, Don knew natural materials
quality that was rough and didn’t conceal the
would play a big part in crafting the interiors.
natural ingredients.”
Wool carpets, linen curtains, mild steel, aniline
Don observes the responses of guests entering
leather and vintage furniture all feature in the rooms.
the rooms... “many people aren’t used to seeing
Don said using ROCKCOTE Earthen Render on the
so many natural materials in their raw state in such
walls gave the entire scene potency and brought
proximity. The dividend of such an approach gives
together the collective honesty of all the elements.
the rooms honesty and relatability.”
PROJECT DETAILS: - Three storey hotel with 68 rooms
Artisan: Paul Geach, Cr8ive Surfaces
- Walls: Earthen Render Medium. The render was mixed
Photography: Ross Honeysett
with milled hemp for added texture then pigmented to a dusty, grey tone - Lightly undulating, earthen finish - Guest Room Interiors: Don Cameron
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NATURAL PAINTS ROCKCOTE Natural Paints are premium quality environmentally friendly paints for health conscious people who are concerned about environmental pollution and indoor air quality. Unique lime and clay-based formulations contain zero Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), have no lingering paint fumes and are free of synthetic chemicals. They provide a natural alternative to other chemical-based paints on the market. Unlike most modern low to zero VOC paints which are made from synthetic materials, ROCKCOTE natural paints are a true natural product. Natural paints can be used on almost every substrate that modern paints can be used on: walls, ceilings, woodwork, brick and block.
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Natural Materials
ROCKCOTE Clay Paint, Natural Designer Home, Queensland.
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Clay Paint ROCKCOTE Clay Paint has outstanding opacity that can support a full range of colours from its natural Grecian white to the brightest colours you can imagine. The stunning flat finish provides the added benefit of hiding plasterboard defects in the open plan modern home style. It evokes a softer, subtler mood effect than low sheen finishes that can reflect light in unnatural ways. Being vapour permeable and breathable, Clay Paint allows air to pass through, assisting in natural regulation of moisture from the surface and therefore will not support the growth of mould, mildew or fungi.
Clay Paint, Natural Designer Homes, Casuarina
Clay Paint Information: Use: Interior only, not suitable for bathrooms or wet areas Colour: Can be tinted with coloured oxides Finish: Flat
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Natural Materials
Lime Wash ROCKCOTE Lime Wash provides a breathable decorative finish that penetrates into the underlying substrate, delivering a long-lasting, robust coating. Lime Wash has been for centuries on the exterior of all types of buildings. Recreate the aged patina look reminiscent of a traditional Greek seaside building, or the heritage character of a Sydney terrace home. It is perfect for historic buildings, refurbishments or commercial developments, particularly where Council requires new construction to maintain a heritage aesthetic. Additionally, Lime Wash can be an effective and innovative method to finish more modern surfaces such as a kitchen, courtyard or outdoor living area. A versatile product, different looks can be achieved by a skilled artisan including cross-hatching, a scalloped shell look, burnishing or a standard rolled finish.
“Finishes should not poison the air with fumes, nor the soul
Lime Wash Information: Use: Interior and Exterior Colour: Soft white, Can be tinted with oxides Finishes: Flat
with artificiality.”
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Natural Paints Case Study
Casuarina When award-winning builder, Mick Corcoran
Strategies were implemented for energy and
planned his own family home, he set out to create
water management, indoor air quality, the careful
a beautiful architecturally designed home that was
selection of materials, landscaping, stormwater
healthy to live in and a fine example of sustainable
management, and minimal wastage to ensure the
living.
project met its brief.
Mick works collaboratively with Natural Designer
The home has been designed to take advantage
Homes, a company that leads the way in
of natural lighting and passive solar heating
environmentally aware building. The collaboration
throughout the year, as well as the prevailing breeze
has won a myriad of Housing Industry Association
paths for ventilation.
and Master Builders Awards since 2009 including several Greensmart Energy Efficiency Home of the
Cedar, and coreten steel were selected as the core
Year Awards.
building materials. The coreten is designed to rust and protect itself and has a low carbon content.
This two-storey home at Casuarina on the NSW North Coast was thoughtfully designed to blend
The selection and use of building products that
with the coastal environment using sustainable
promote and support a healthy indoor home
building materials integrated with a functional, low
environment were a key consideration. Every
maintenance design.
material that has gone into the home has been scrutinised for VOCs and the best alternative selected to improve the air quality.
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Natural Materials
ROCKCOTE Clay Paint was selected for the
Two coats of Clay Paint were applied with a roller,
interior of the home (including all walls, ceilings and
and the product was watered down slightly for the
skirtings) for its zero VOC content and ability to act
cutting in coats.
as a filter to improve the indoor air quality. The completed home has certainly caught the “We wanted something that looked fabulous,
attention of the industry, recently taking out the 2013
was a hundred percent natural, odour-free, and
Housing Industry Association Gold Coast, Northern
wouldn’t harbour mould in what is a fairly humid
Rivers Housing and Bathroom Awards Greensmart
environment,” Mick said.
Energy Efficient House of the Year. It also won the 2013 Master Builders Excellence in Building Awards
“The natural white colour looks stunning, and has
Best Environmental Management Award.
helped create an amazing indoor environment that we know does not compromise our health.”
Earlier in 2013 the home was awarded Master Builders Northern NSW Excellence in Building
The ROCKCOTE Clay Paint was used over
Awards Best Sustainable Energy Project.
plasterboard walls with a preparatory coat of ROCKCOTE EcoStyle Sealer/Undercoat.
PROJECT DETAILS: - 340m² approximately
Photography: Bray Kay
- 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms - Double storey with all living areas on the ground floor - Timber Frame - Cedar, coreten and steel exterior Two coats of ROCKCOTE Armour over cedar - Internal finishes: ROCKCOTE Clay Paint, natural colour on walls, ceilings and skirtings
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“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” - Native American Proverb
Phone: 1300 736 668 Email:
[email protected] 18 Machinery Road Yandina QLD 4561
www.rockcote.com.au Printed on 100% recycled, process chlorine-free paper with environmentally friendly Electro ink.
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Natural Materials
www.thenaturalartisan.com © ROCKCOTE V6
ROCKCOTE Marrakesh bar, Etsu Izakaya, Mermaid Beach Queensland by artisan Michael Symington. Photography: Ross Eason.
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“To help people create naturally beautiful buildings that don’t cost the earth.”
