Scottish Widows
Accoya wood was used as part of a bespoke solar shading system by Levolux in this Scottish Widows office in Edinburgh, Scotland. 1,060 wood fins were used in combination with glass fins and Matrix XL Brise Soleil.
Levolux was able to offer a 10 year warranty for the finish and a 60 year life expectancy and over 2 years later the fins look and perform as new, despite the challenges encountered in this type of thin profile, fully exposed application.
Glenrothes, Fife
This architect-owned private house near Glenrothes, Fife, used approximately 30m2 Accoya wood profiled facade cladding and was completed in July 2006. The cladding was factory coated with translucent Sikkens Natural Balance coating system, backed by an industry-first 10 year guarantee for cladding and giving a smooth contemporary finish.
After 4.5 years, the cladding shows no sign of decay, despite the property’s far northern latitude and 10km proximity to the sea.
The coating continues to perform well, with no blistering or cracks. The slightly dirty appearance of the cladding is due to tree sap from surrounding trees but the owner reports that this is simply and easily washed off.
Jubilee Center
The Jubilee Center is a community center for senior citizens and after-school care kids located in Jubilee Park, South Dallas, Texas. Primarily financed by the T. Boone Pickens Foundation and other generous supporters, the building was designed by Brent A. Brown Architects - a firm focused on sustainability. The Jubilee Center is clad entirely of Accoya® siding which was chosen for its strong environmental credentials and performance benefits. Accoya® wood's exceptional durability provided significant leeway to the unique design of the building, included perfectly aligned, 45 degree mitre cuts on all corners of the building.
Foch Street
The Foch Street office building located in Fort Worth, Texas was designed by Cunningham Architects, a small firm committed to sustainable design. The project made use of two existing buildings and integrated a new building between them. The previously standing brick building used sustainable Accoya® wood on the upper lap siding. The new building used Accoya® wood as rain screens. Due to the benefits of Accoya® wood's solar conductivity, the rain screens provide an aesthetically pleasing solution to keeping cool in the hot Texas sun.
Solar Decathlon
Accoya® wood was chosen for the solar screen on the University of Florida's Project RE:FOCUS home in the Solar Decathlon Europe 2010 competition in Madrid Spain. Designed entirely by the university's architecture students, Project RE:Focus home blended innovative architecture with sustainable materials to create a zero-energy home. Strong architectural elements include a covered open porch with a breezeway oriented to the prevailing wind and of course, the Accoya® adjustable exterior screens which allows the homeowner to control privacy or utilize natural daylight, thus reducing energy consumption. The Project RE:FOCUS house made quite an impact with both judges and the general public by winning the prestigious Public Choice award and winning second place overall in the Energy Balance category and first place in the Communications category.
Sneek Bridge
The city of Sneek in the Provence of Friesland in the Netherlands has a rich maritime heritage and required a landmark entrance. Architects, Hans Achterbosh's design representing an upturned fishing boat became the Sneek Bridge. Made of glue laminated Accoya® wood, the 40 metre long two lane bridge was required to have a minimum 80 lifespan and carry road traffic up to 65 tonnes. Due to it's outstanding durability, Accoya® wood was up to the challenge. Because the Accoya® wooden bridge was so successful, a second, slightly smaller bridge was commissioned.
