CHANGING THE GAME

As the construction industry increasingly embraces sustainability and green building principles, the demand for building materials that combine high performance with sustainability is poised to grow. Considering that the built environment contributes around 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions, adopting net-zero carbon architecture becomes crucial for the UK to achieve its decarbonisation targets. Architects and designers are actively seeking materials that offer aesthetics, performance, and sustainability.

While some tropical hardwoods offer good durability there are issues around illegal logging, overexploitation, and even human rights issues. Unless the wood is certified by the likes of FSC or PEFC, you must consider that it is difficult to keep track of where the wood comes from. Accsys Technologies therefore set out to create an alternative.

Modified wood comes in several guises with Accoya one of most popular choices. Dr Pablo Steenwinkel, Group Head of Technology, at Accsys sees it as key to the net zero journey.

When it comes to timber construction, the interiors can often be simpler than the exteriors. For areas exposed to the elements, such as windows, doors, and cladding, it’s vital to choose a material that’s going to be hard-wearing.

The changing climate brings with it ever more extreme conditions for materials to endure, from heatwaves to heavy rains and storms. For those wanting to benefit from the natural aesthetic and sustainability of wood, it can be a challenge to find the right wood that is durable, stable, and can take coatings well.

For the past 15 years at Accsys we have been developing and refining a technology to create high performance wood products for all manner of outdoor applications. Our products combine the natural sustainability and aesthetics of wood with performance attributes that rival man-made and carbon intensive products such as aluminium, plastic and steel. Our product Accoya, is made from fast growing FSC certified® (CO12330) pine, which is modified to become highly durable (durability class 1) and dimensionally stable.

The production of Accoya is based on the process of wood acetylation. This modification process is an incredibly effective method to improve the technical properties of wood, in particular its durability and dimensional stability.

Wood acetylation works by changing the cell structure of the wood whereby the cell walls are ‘blocked’ for moisture absorption. Accoya contains no toxic substances as the process simply increases the levels of already present elements within the molecular structure of the wood. This modification reduces the wood’s ability to absorb water in the cell walls by about 80%, thus greatly improving dimensional stability. As well as making Accoya resistant to swelling and rot, it also means it requires less maintenance as coatings can last longer. www.accoya.com

We are so confident in the durability of Accoya that we offer a 50-years above ground and 25-years in/on-ground warranty, effectively giving forests time to regrow, often twice over, across the total life cycle of Accoya. It takes around 25-30 years for the pine trees that we source from to grow to maturity.

The demand for Accoya has been outstripping supply and interest is expanding globally. In the UK the key drivers are windows, doors and cladding. In other markets decking has proved to be a very popular application, due to its long-lasting properties, low maintenance and comfortable under the foot. Trends towards outdoor living are also driving demand as people seek stable but natural materials to build outdoor kitchens, offices and sheds.

Accoya is also being used on some of the most high-profile construction projects. The new flagship Google building that is being built in London’s King Cross will feature Accoya on its façade. HESS Timber has manufactured Accoya glulam and CLT panels for this façade. It was specified for its durability and sustainability – Accoya is Cradle to Cradle Certified® gold, reflecting its strong circular economy credentials. The sustainability factor was significant as it aligns with Google’s commitment to environmentally friendly construction practices.

The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard will soon be introduced. Timber construction stands to benefit greatly from these developments, and we take pride in our role in transforming the game by enabling the greater use of timber in outdoor areas. Previously, less circular and less sustainable materials might have been used as substitutes, but now timber can offer both high performance and sustainability.

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