When international home improvement retail giants Leroy Merlin planned their sixth South African megastore at the Newmarket Lifestyle Centre in Johannesburg, the brief was clear: maintain the core corporate identity of the group’s standard GLA (general lease area) – a warm, recognizable and relevant wooden façade – adapted to the site’s specific location and layout.
With previous stores’ (including the Fourways-based Head Office) material specifications for every entrance were already revised from the thermally modified European softwood to Eva-Last’s VistaClad bamboo composite cladding. The challenge now lay in creating a striking contemporary iteration of the French group’s tried and tested theme while standing head-and-shoulders above the neighbouring shops.
PROJECT DETAILS
- Project Name: Leroy Merlin, New Market Lifestyle Centre
- Project Type: Commercial
- Description: Cladding to façade
- Product used: Revive Castellated Cladding in Villa Palm
- Date of Installation: 19 March 2026
- Project Location: Newmarket, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Size: 215m2
- Project Quantity Surveyor: Luyanda Manyenge, Tri-star Construction
- Architect: Richard de Klerk, SV Architects
CASTELLATED CLADDING FOR A FRESH NEW FACE
True to the artisanal appeal of timber, and a deliberate nod to its prevalence as a DIY and building materials’ outlet, previous Leroy Merlin stores all feature a towering wood-look façade using Eva-Last’s VistaClad composite cladding and Lifespan architectural beams. Bamboo polymer composites are better suited to the harsh South African climate, matching not only the authentic timber aesthetic of its parent company, but outperforming it too, in terms of durability and low maintenance practicality. Early stores initially featured another uncapped cladding that required ongoing maintenance, scaffolding and specialized expertise that proved costly and unsustainable in the long term before the transition to Eva-Last composite materials.
Richard de Klerk of SV Architects was appointed to conceptualise a striking store frontage for Leroy Merlin that would maximise public appeal while suiting the Lifestyle centre’s former horseracing heritage. Having designed several of the centre’s other restaurant and retail stores, SV Architects were intimately aware of the centre’s subtle “country character” and the need to incorporate various natural materials and colourways to make Leroy Merlin stand out above the neighbouring stores. De Klerk chose the modern fluted look of Eva-Last’s Revive castellated cladding in Villa Palm to differentiate this outlet from its regional counterparts. Revive’s castellated profile, is an on-trend vertical grooved cladding that was able to give Newmarket’s façade an elevated look.
REVIVING THE WOOD LOOK
The Revive castellated cladding in dark wooden tones of Villa Palm forms the main feature of the store’s entrance, towering as a big square sentinel upon which the enormous Leroy Merlin sign was mounted. It also hides some of the services positioned on the slab behind it. The natural warm brushed texture compliments the triangular green and white colours of the Leroy Merlin signage, creating an interesting, contemporary contrast between the two finishes.
A mix of grey and white IBR sheeting and face brick walls and windows complete the rest of the façade with minimal painted or plastered surfaces to ensure low maintenance convenience.
A structural engineer provided the main steel frame onto which the sub-structure for the cladding and signage was attached, creating a safe and secure fitting. Revive castellated cladding proved to be faster to install than similar products – an important consideration given the tight timelines of the grand opening. What’s more, the underside of the steel structure was also concealed by simply extending the cladding. Colour-matching trims completed the project giving it a seamless, invisible edge.
Engineered specifically for longevity and performance, not only is the co-extruded compound made from recycled plastic combined with eco-friendly bamboo fibres. – meeting all necessary SANS 10400 building codes – the protective outer capping protects against sunlight, stains and scratches, offering a long-lasting, weather resistant surface. As a building supplier, they couldn’t afford a tarnished, worn or damaged exterior.
KEY INFLUENCER QUOTES
“Eva-Last’s Revive castellated cladding was quick and easy to install given our tight deadlines, and we even used the cladding to hide the steel substructure onto which the Leroy Merlin signage was attached,” says Richard de Klerk of SV Architects.Click here to download a PDF version of this case study.
