Powder Coating Public Art: How PCS Brought Martin Basher’s “Big Flowers” to Te Papa

PCS powder coated Martin Basher's 7-metre "Big Flowers" sculptures for Te Papa, engineering a high-gloss finish built for Wellington's harshest coastal conditions.

Powder coating public art brings a different set of demands than a standard industrial job. When Martin Basher’s four 7-metre steel frames arrived at our Seaview facility, we knew this was true. The brief was clear: a high-gloss, “day-glow” finish tough enough to survive Wellington’s salt spray, UV, and wind for years. Here’s how we did it.

The challenge: coastal exposure meets art-grade colour

“Big Flowers” is the 10th installation in the Wellington Sculpture Trust’s 4 Plinths Project. The brief called for four 7-metre sculptures in a vivid, “day-glow” gloss — bold enough to match Martin Basher’s vision. They would then stand permanently on the Te Papa Tongarewa forecourt, one of Wellington’s most exposed waterfront sites.

That site throws a lot at exposed steel:

Constant salt spray off the harbour
High UV exposure with no natural shelter
Wellington’s well-known wind loading

A finish that faded or corroded within a couple of seasons wasn’t an option. This is a permanent civic artwork.

The solution: Dulux Duratec Intensity Colours

We chose four colours from the Dulux Intensity range: Intensity Flame Gloss, Intensity Sunshine Gloss, Intensity Tomcat Gloss, and Intensity Reef Gloss.

These aren’t standard architectural colours. They’re engineered “day-glow” pigments that hold their intensity against Wellington’s grey urban backdrop. They also meet architectural-grade standards for colour-fastness and corrosion resistance in a marine environment. For a piece that needed to read as vivid public art — not an industrial component — that combination was the deciding factor.

Powder coating public art: from shop floor to skyline

Arrival and preparation. Handling four 7-metre steel frames took careful planning before we picked up a spray gun. We zinc-sprayed the steel and primed it with an epoxy grey primer. This gave the powder coating a properly prepared, corrosion-resistant surface to bond to.

Applying the colour. We applied the Duratec Intensity finishes to bring out the “punch” Basher wanted. The colour needed to stand out against Wellington’s grey architecture, not blend into it.

Leaving the shop floor. Watching four 7-metre sculptures leave our facility for the Wellington Sculpture Trust’s unveiling was a proud moment for the team. This was our largest project to date.

Standing on the forecourt. The real test of any coating job is how it holds up in its actual environment. On the Te Papa forecourt, “Big Flowers” performs in full daylight, full weather, and full public view, every day.

A landmark installation

Photos from the unveiling show exactly what the brief called for. The finish is high-gloss and pearlescent, shifting with Wellington’s changing light while standing up to salt air and coastal wind. The sculptures have moved from raw steel frames on our shop floor to a permanent part of Wellington’s public art landscape.

Practical takeaway

Public art asks more of a coating than most industrial jobs. It has to look flawless up close. It has to hold vivid colour at scale. And it has to survive permanent outdoor exposure without maintenance. We relied on the same fundamentals we apply to any project: correct surface preparation, the right coating system, and a finish matched to a genuinely coastal, high-UV site.

Whether it’s a 1,000kg public sculpture or a high-performance industrial fleet, our standard for durability and finish quality doesn’t change.

Browse the full range of finishes, including the Duratec Intensity colours used on this project, on Our Colours page.