Featurecraft's Kick-Start Guide for January 2026 

However, when we take a pause from work, it can be hard to get back into the swing of things. Factor in the post-holiday blues, and suddenly the year ahead may seem more daunting than exciting.

Fortunately, there’s a simple way to retain your momentum and get your creative juices flowing, and that’s to stay engaged with your industry.

Let new ideas come into your field of view. Actively pursue opportunities to learn and refresh your skillset.  Now is the time to seize that new year energy and transform it into action.

With this in mind, we’ve compiled this list of Featurecraft’s learnings, ideas, and growth opportunities – give it a read and see what resonates.

What’s new in timber?

One word: HPL.

Not exactly new, but certainly not as widespread in New Zealand as it should be. These powerhouse faux-timber veneers are shockingly misunderstood; apparently, people think they’re a costlier option than a timber veneer, when they’re actually far more affordable and much more durable.

Are you designing a school or a similar high-impact zone? Are you working on a hospital or some other place with stringent cleanliness requirements? Then you should be specifying HPL-veneered products, because frankly, you’re not likely to get the same performance from many other materials in the NZ market.

What’s more – joiners love working with HPL because it allows them to match cabinetry and other trims seamlessly to wall and ceiling linings.

If you haven’t already experimented with this versatile finish, don’t be the last to find out what it’s all about. Talk to us now for samples, design consultation, and more.

Service integration: your secret weapon for eliminating design-to-reality fails

We could give a whole presentation about service integration - but let's keep it simple for now.

Architects tend to reach out to suppliers late in the detailed design phase, when the RCPs have mostly been finalised. The supplier creates a beautiful feature, sends it onwards for installation, and then… the services get in the way. The feature has to be rejigged around HVAC, lighting, all the other components of your space, and the final effect is far from fantastic.  

How can you prevent this?  

Just talk to us earlier.  

Get your supplier to give your RCP a quick review and ensure that your design intent is achievable. Get all the design and installation details worked out far ahead of time, and you’ll be surprised at how much time, money, and effort you stand to save.

Why the batten is still a decorative gamechanger

Have a look at these two projects: Ōrewa Library and Starship Hospital.  

Both are community-focused spaces where the architects wanted to soothe, to nurture, and to evoke the natural landscape. Both made use of solid timber battens – but can you see how different the final effect is?  

At Starship Hospital, we adopted a straight batten form that integrated into an acoustic backing panel to create a forest silhouette effect. These battens were designed to be detachable, enabling the hospital to customise them with meaningful details like monetary donor names.  

At Ōrewa Library, we made curved battens out of solid timber. This is such a technically challenging task – we’re very proud of our factory staff for making it happen. The curves mimic the waveforms of Ōrewa Beach, a subtle overhead detail that morphs into the overall seaside theme.  

Same basic product – a solid timber batten – used for two very different design schemes, and resulting in two totally different aesthetics. That’s how you can leverage simple details to create a resounding effect. As a designer, you don’t need to throw away time and budget on the latest fads to enter the market. A simple batten can probably deliver everything you’re looking for.

Easy ways to upskill in January

CPD: the words no one likes to hear. You’ve already finished university, so surely, it’s a bit unfair to make you do extra classes till the end of time?

We hear you, and we want to help. Featurecraft is developing a brand-new range of CPD courses that will ease the specification process, deliver value for time, and hopefully teach you a new trick or two – and we might even bring snacks.  

These are our latest releases:  

Fire safety in decorative architectural detailing: learn how to specify the right finishes, spot potential risks, and ensure your project reaches code compliance.  

Our latest release is about fire safety in decorative architectural detailing: learn how to specify the right finishes, spot potential risks, and ensure your project reaches code compliance.

Reach out to our team now to book yourself in for a presentation.

Specifications

We say this all the time, because it’s so true: the Masterspec Work Section Support is one of your most important tools as a specifier. You don’t need to waste your time trying to identify the smallest features of each product; simply raise a query through the Masterspec portal and let our team fill out a response for you.

Nailing that work-life balance

After an entire article devoted to work, we’d be remiss not to talk about play.  

Creativity requires rest. The start of a new year is a great time to review your work-life balance and your day-to-day habits, and assess whether you’re getting the right inputs into your system. After all, it’s hard to come up with groundbreaking designs and exciting new concepts if you’re exposed to the same ideas day in, day out.  

Visit a local art gallery. Watch an indie film. Take your kids to the beach and watch how they build sandcastles. Inspiration comes from many sources, not just architectural magazines and social media posts.

Contact Us

If you want to keep your momentum going, check out some of our recent projects and posts to spark inspiration.  

Our team’s always keen for a chat – give us a call or email and let’s talk ideas in person.

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