It's an engineered product. It's often specified for it's relatively low cost and ease of installation. Painted, Shadowclad has a maintenance cycle of 12-15 years (ie needs a new lick of paint). Clear stained or "natural" has a shorter maintenance cycle of 5-7 years (this depends heavily on orientation). We try to avoid natural shadowclad facing north or west in areas where the walls are not partially shaded (the above photo shows the southern and eastern faces of the design).