The Pompejus Tower will officially open to the public on Saturday 24th March 2018. Named after the first commander of the fortress, the new 25 metre high landmark is situated on the restored Fort de Roovere in Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands. The viewpoint of the tower boasts views of the entire Brabant Water Line. Created by RO&AD Architects, Accoya® wood was specified because of its durability, stability and low maintenance benefits in external applications.
The main construction consists of steel triangles and has been designed according to a mathematical design principle which allowed for windows and openings to be formed in the façade. This construction is virtually invisible as Accoya wood plates were mounted on the cutting faces of the steel. This created the recognisable mathematical voronoi pattern which occurs in nature on the neck of giraffes and shields of turtles.
An exhibition space and an open-air theatre is situated at the bottom of the tower, with a stand made of Accoya. The grandstand also serves as the start of the stairs, with all 129 made of Accoya® wood. In total, 100 mᵌ of Accoya was used for this project.
RO&AD Architects have designed and created several projects on the Brabant Water Line, including the Mozesbrug and Ravelijnbrug. Ad Kil, Co-Owner of RO&AD: “We have selected Accoya in all of our projects along the waterline. This consistent specification unites the projects and makes it a kind of family. We always choose Accoya because we are big fans of the wood and its performance. We do not want to use tropical hardwood because of the long growth cycle of 150 years. Whereas Accoya is made of a fast-growing type of wood and also has durability class 1; and with a 50 year guarantee above ground and 25 year guarantee in ground/freshwater, it can be used outdoors in challenging applications without any problems. From an aesthetic point of view, the wood is naturally beautiful, making it the ideal choice for many of our projects.”
