The first office building clad in the revolutionary modified wood has been unveiled in Rotterdam.
The GoGo Tours office building at Bahialaan, Brainpark III, features 40m3 of AccoyaŽ cladding, planed and edge laminated to panels before being finished with white translucent.
The move into commercial property developments give strong indication of the opportunities for Accoya and BSW Timber, which has signed an exclusive agreement with Titan Wood to be the sole supplier of Accoya across the UK and Ireland.
Evert Laarman of GLC Houtconstructies, which selected Accoya after evaluating a range of other cladding products, said he had been pleased with its performance.
"This method of exterior laminating is difficult to achieve with other woods but Accoya wood's stability and the absence of cracks in the wood makes it ideal and very durable. Accoya wood is a welcome addition to the cladding market."
John Alexander, head of business development at BSW Timber, said: "This office building reflects the growing interest in Accoya from the commercial sector and represents the culmination of years of extensive engineering, product testing field testing and market review. Anything other than the very low maintenance Accoya offers in coated timber cladding would be have precluded the use of wood from this commercial building.
"Market development is progressing incredibly well and there has been an impressive response from architects and developers."
Accoya uses wood acetylation technology to deliver outstanding levels of performance, stability and durability. It also boasts excellent environmental credentials, using wood from sustainable plantations and being 100% non-toxic. The wood's appearance, natural colour and strength of the timber are not affected in the process.
