Sustainability consultancy 540 WORLD worked with Accsys and TEAM2100 to implement this important sustainability initiative, with a view to more widespread substitution of slow-growing hardwood with fast-growing, rapidly carbon-sequestering and very durable Accoya. The lack of toxic or plastic-based additives to Accoya is vital to its use in these environments, eliminating the risk of potential leaching into the water and environmental or ecological harm.

Each cubic metre of Accoya contains nearly one tonne of CO2e absorbed by certified sustainable forests, and keep that carbon safely stored for decades: it is warrantied for 50 years above ground, and 25 years in fresh water, with previous tests also indicating exceptional durability and integrity in marine environments. This installation in the Thames Estuary will provide further data on long-term performance, adding to the consensus of positive data from sites in the Mediterranean and North Seas.

We want to inform, create awareness, and above all inspire people with what they can accomplish using Accoya® wood, and our new website is designed to do just that.

We still have all the information, data and details about Accoya’s fantastic qualities and sustainability, but now we’re really showing just what you can do with it.

There are new ways to explore our major applications of windows, doors, cladding/siding and decking, and an extensive (and filterable) projects section that highlights some of the amazing places and buildings around the world that feature Accoya® wood.

We want to provide an online experience that delivers useful, relevant and inspirational content to all our audiences, and helps you find what you want and need through either browsing or searching – and our new ‘Knowledge Hub’ can help answer any questions you may have.

HMS Warrior, Britain’s first iron-hulled armoured battleship. Launched in 1860, Warrior was the pride of Queen Victoria’s fleet. Powered by steam and sail, she was the largest, fastest and most powerful naval ship of her day and had a lasting impact on naval architecture and design.

Painstakingly restored in Hartlepool and back home in Portsmouth since 1987, Warrior is a unique survivor of the once formidable Victorian Black Battlefleet and now serves as a museum ship.

The ship has more recently undergone a major restoration using large volumes of Accoya for replacing the gunwales and other parts of the ship that had slipped into a poor state. Accoya wood was selected due to its durability, ability to withstand extreme conditions and its dimensional stability, making it an ideal material for projects such as this.

To further enhance Accoya’s aesthetic, Remmers waterborne Sealing Primer, SW-910 end grain sealer and Compact Opaque PU brushing system was applied.

The Handlebar Café is cycle-friendly, socially-sourced, straddles an old railway line and was designed by the young minds of spudYOUTH, a RIBA award winning charity.  Accsys has been supporting the project throughout its development, contributing both funding and sustainable, long-lasting Accoya® wood for its cladding and decking.

Accsys, together with its distributor James Latham (www.lathamtimber.co.uk), has provided the Accoya wood to help the students realise their dream project: a cyclist-friendly and community-centred café along the Viaduct Cycle Path at the foot of St Catherine’s Hill, south of Winchester.

After extraordinary community support from local businesses, individuals and the local authorities, over £350,000 was raised turning their concept into a reality with Handlebar Café officially opening for business yesterday.

A ‘model of sustainability’ and constructed largely from timber, the design was inspired by the train carriages that no longer run along the railway line.  Fitting in perfectly to the project’s sustainability goals is the use of Accoya® wood for the exterior elements.

Accsys’ proprietary acetylation process transforms FSC® certified, sustainable, fast growing wood into a building material that can also outperform man-made, unsustainable or heavily carbon-polluting alternatives. This means the Handlebar Café will not only look great, but will also be locking up captured atmospheric carbon in the wood of its walls and flooring for decades.

As Accoya wood is so stable and durable, the trees used to make them will actually be regrown several times over during the lifetime of products made from it – and the carbon footprint for production is very low (or even negative).

Local children, working with the spudYOUTH charity, designed and planned the venue to provide ethically-sourced food and drink, cycle hire and repair facilities, and training and jobs for young and long-term unemployed people.

It will also provide a venue for charity and community activities, with up to 140 free architecture workshops per year for up to 20 young people each. The project also aims to promote healthy and environmentally friendly living – not only through encouraging cycling, but also through ethical, local and sustainable sourcing.