SmartPly OSB, the fully certified substitute for plywood, is the smart, engineered wood-based panel product alternative in any number of applications, from boarding windows, packaging and hoarding, to timber frame construction, but it is in today’s dynamic shopfitting industry that OSB is really making its mark. 21st century ‘shopfitting’ means much more than just shops. Any interior, be it retail, financial services, leisure, hotels, restaurants, museums or travel, demands a high level of skill and innovation, and shopfitting and interior contracting continues to change at a rapid pace. Professional shopfitters combine traditional skills with modern technology and technical expertise to meet design demands, and when designers push boundaries, new and innovative materials are needed. Precision engineered, FSC certified and locally manufactured in Ireland, SmartPly OSB provides not only sustainability, strength and performance - elements all vital to the success of any project - but also a unique visual aesthetic which is being discovered as a design solution which offers a modern take on traditional or rural concepts and one which is being seen in its raw form more and more often. New shopfitting recently undertaken by FatFace, the active lifestyle clothing and accessories retailer, and Timberland, which offers rugged, outdoor-tested, environmentally-conscious gear for men, women and kids, have drawn on the rugged, natural appearance of OSB, creating interiors which reflect outdoor environments. The Body Shop, the original, natural and ethical beauty brand, leading high street clothing brand H&M, and even ‘Britain’s favourite retailer 2009’ John Lewis have also turned to OSB to create exciting, visually appealing and environmentally responsible fit-outs in their stores. Whether a design is inspired by the countryside or requires an industrial edge, OSB is being specified and used for wall and floor covering, sanded and treated to a smooth finish for fitted furniture and display shelving, or as a solid base for portable garment racks and rails. Combining OSB with raw concrete and steel and exposed functions completes industrial designs, and combinations of OSB with glass and gloss surfaces brings warmth to stark contemporary finishes. OSB is also developing international appeal. An interior application using SmartPly OSB was recently completed for Dutch architectural practice Bureau B+O Architecten B.V, whose office is in a former gasworks in Meppel. The practice designed for themselves a 14 meter long elongated, rectangular, free-standing office unit to give them the additional space they needed and the visual impact of SmartPly OSB immediately appealed to architect Arnoud Olie: “The use of OSB was mainly for aesthetic reasons. We wanted to get back to basics, and the imposing form combined well with the grey concrete and hot dip galvanised steel and glass - materials we frequently use.” Australian architect Matt Gibson designed a shop interior for the fashion retailer Fame Agenda, in the Docklands of Melbourne, Australia. A random and organic set of arches merge to form a cave-like enclosure with the OSB creating a strong visual statement, and when new functional-design driven fashion store Magazin-Zing opened in Moscow, the store featured OSB panels and furniture, making a fresh and unusual statement.
1 September 2010