Accoya Insights – our bi-monthly newsletter bringing you relevant company updates and key developments from around the world.

This edition includes:

• Production underway in our new plant in Kingsport, US.
• Updates in operational improvements
• Expansion of the commercial team
• Latest projects
• Sustainability credentials
• Marketing updates on our Where to Buy site

 “While a newly fitted kitchen and plenty of natural light have always been significant features to homebuyers, energy efficiency has risen in importance. Of course, with high – and unstable – energy bills affecting every household, this is hardly surprising. Nonetheless, for those looking to increase the buyer appeal of their existing property, it is important to note that this is now one of the key features for those looking to purchase a home. 

“By choosing windows made from high performing materials, such as Accoya, homeowners get both natural light and high efficiency, so it’s a no brainer to put replacing old windows at the top of the home improvement wish list to help reduce energy bills and increase desirability,” comments Gillian Edwards, Head of Communications and ESG at Accoya.  

While the market remains unstable, many property owners are investing in their current premises. In fact, more than half (51%) of homeowners say they are currently planning to make energy-efficient home improvements and, when it comes to higher-income households, two thirds (66%) say they’re planning on improving the energy efficiency of their property. 

However, it’s not just energy-efficient modifications that are rising in popularity. Homeowners are also looking for more sustainable products as part of an effort to reduce their property’s carbon footprint. In fact, over a third (36%) of homeowners say they would invest more in sustainable home improvements

John Alexander, Group Director of Sales, Accsys commented: “The Thames water is a tough environment with brackish salt water with active marine organisms which rapidly degrade all but the most durable wood types. It’s a real endurance test for a wood product and the performance is in line with our expectations after running sea trials of up to 13 years from the Pacific Ocean to the North Sea.”

The fenders are being used by the Environment Agency’s TEAM2100 programme as proof of concept that it can replace hardwood, provide habitat and contribute to achieving the organisation’s Circular Economy, Net Zero, Environmental Net Gain, and Social Value sustainability ambitions.

Regenerative design consultancy, 540 WORLD worked with Accsys, Jacobs, Balfour Beatty 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 CO₂ absorbed by certified sustainable forests, which keeps that carbon safely stored for decades. This installation in the Thames Estuary will provide further data on long-term performance, adding to the consensus of positive data that Accsys has collected from sites in the Mediterranean and North Seas.

We are pleased to share our positive updates with you, including the successful commissioning of our fourth reactor in Arnhem and plant construction in North America, both leading to increased Accoya production capacity!

It’s been a busy time for Accoya, with several award wins, numerous projects, and the introduction of our new innovation, Accoya Color. Find out more within the RoundUp below.

On 29th and 30th June 2022, at the Windmill Village Hotel, Golf & Spa in Coventry, the 8th WPA annual two day event took place to celebrate all that is good in the timber industry.

On the evening of 29th June was the awards ceremony to recognise the achievements of businesses in the wood protection technology sector.

Accsys entered the awards category ‘Modified Wood Project of the Year’ with the new Google HQ in Kings Cross, London. Although the project is not yet finished, the use of Accoya is extensive and once completed, the building will be first of its kind – a landscaper. The Google HQ will be longer than the Shard is tall and features the world’s largest timber and glass façade.

The project won the category, showing that Accoya wood has been used to enhance the performance of the building and meet specific design requirements.

Designed by Heatherwick Studio and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG).

A week earlier, the company was also listed as a runner up on the shortlist for the IR Society Best Practice Award for Best ESG Communication. This marks a year of substantial progress in Accsys’ development of its Environmental, Social and Governance strategy and reporting: making sure the growing positive environmental impact of increasing its supply of products is matched with increasingly improved performance and transparency as a responsible and ethical business.

Rob Harris, CEO, said:
“I’m delighted to see the hard work of our talented and committed colleagues recognised and rewarded by the people and organisations leading our industry. I want to say ‘congratulations and thank you’ to everyone who helps make this possible – every single person and role in our business contributes to and deserves credit for these achievements. Our fantastic customers, distributors, and architects, specifiers, joiners and builders who make great use of our products every day are a big part of our success too. Thank you all!”

In London on 25th November 2021, the Wood Awards winners were announced.

Held at the Building Centre, 8 projects were awarded after successfully being chosen during the rigorous judging process.

The prestigious awards celebrate excellence in architecture and product design in wood.

Accoya wood was used in two winning projects and in one highly commended project, details below.

See more information and the full list of 2021 winners here.

Accoya used for internal joinery and interior at this property in London.

Accoya is created with a different principle: the actual wood itself is changed and enhanced by boosting the presence of molecule groups that are already a natural part of the wood.  It becomes more stable, more durable…and highly resistant (or unappetising) to shipworms!

Partnering with Britton Timbers, a long-standing Accoya distributor in Australia, Accoya wood has been supplied for use for oyster seed trays and posts to Australian oyster farms since 2015 and is currently undergoing a testing programme.

Backed up with a 10-year warranty for this application, Accoya offers a unique solution to the challenge for oyster farms. It is sustainable, non-toxic and has an excellent reputation around the world for many applications, but this application is unique and could change the industry.

The TTJ Awards are organised by the Timber Trade Journal Online. The awards showcase the timber sector as a major, modern and forward-looking industry and recognise its achievements in areas that are vital to business success.

The 25th anniversary awards took place on Friday 17th September 2021 in London. A number of Accsys employees attended the awards, as well as, some of our customers, agency partners and many other companies working in the timber industry.

We are thrilled to announce that we were awarded the Excellence in Marketing Award, sponsored by Combilift, at The TTJ Awards 2021 ceremony. We were very proud to be nominated and we were up against other deserving winners, so to be given this award is a great achievement for Accsys and Accoya.

Photographed left and below: Jason Mohammad – Presenter, Laura Keily & George Neel – Accsys, Tommy Cadden – Combilift.

‘Accoya – a new way of thinking about wood’ shows, tells and illustrates the unique properties and benefits of the product: enhancing the natural qualities of wood while negating its traditional weaknesses, creating a building material that offers distinct advantages compared to tropical hardwoods, plastics and other materials.

Working with its distributors and manufacturers who create end products – such as doors, windows, cladding and decking – from Accoya wood, people throughout the value chain can quickly and easily find the information they need, understand the benefits and proposition of the product, and then find and contact the right vendor for their requirements.

In 2020 Accsys also won Bronze for “Best strategic or creative development of a new brand” for its corporate brand.

See the Transform Awards winners article here.

Pictured left: Jen Neville & Kate Gorringe – Mr B and Friends
Laura Keily & Natalie Davies – Accsys

Since that very first batch in 2007 Accsys has expanded our offering in both availability and scope to give even greater choice and versatility to the construction industry. We’ve constantly refined and developed our Accoya production processes and buying options, and developed Tricoya®, many of the Accoya’s long list of benefits to the world in panel form, unlocking vast creative and functional potential for a more sustainable built environment. We’ll be opening the world’s first Tricoya plant this year, an exciting prospect and quite amazing in the context of Accoya’s 14^th ‘birthday’!

As we’re celebrating Accoya today though, we shouldn’t forget to also mention that the new www.accoya.com launched recently, with updated branding and a whole new way to see and showcase the product and its uses in stunning detail – as well as simplifying the path to purchase.

So, maybe the question isn’t ‘why is Accoya still a favourite after 14 years’, but ‘why would you want to choose anything else?’

• Environment Agency chooses Accoya to replace hardwood for assets that support bio-diversity

• Accsys donated the wood to gather further data on durability and longevity in marine environments, adding to positive testing results from the Mediterranean and North Sea.

Fenders are not only an essential part of flood management assets in the Thames Estuary, they also provide unique bio-diversity niches in tidal waters, promoting healthy and diverse habitats.

Accoya wood, donated by Accsys via its distributor International Timber, is being used by the Environment Agency’s TEAM2100 programme as proof of concept that it can replace hardwood, provide habitat and contribute to achieving the organisation’s Net Zero ambition.

Accoya is a revolutionary, modified and dimensionally stable wood. It delivers remarkable levels of performance and is a product that will stand the test of time.

Accoya wood is made by Accsys at its factory in Arnhem, The Netherlands.

Accsys transforms fast-growing certified sustainable wood into Accoya wood through a proprietary acetylation process. The result is a high-performing product with sustainability credentials greater than those of man-made materials, intensive resource depleting and highly carbon polluting alternatives.

This gives the world the choice to build sustainably, offering new opportunities for the built environment.

Check out these great projects located in Belgium built with Accoya!

The Police station in the small town of Molenbeek in Belgium was designed by Architectenbureau Emmanuel Bouffioux. After 5 years since the Accoya was installed in 2015, the facade is just as stable and shows a beautiful silver-grey weathering.

During a visit to the Police station, we were particularly curious about the performance of the Accoya wood as this project features challenging lines. The facade was a joy to see.

In projects like this, you truly see just how stable Accoya really is and where we can make a difference. We are convinced that this type of structure with good long-term results is only possible with Accoya.

Xavier Deruyttere- Martal Houtimport, Accoya Distributor in Belgium and Luxembourg

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Houben built the new headquarters of the FNG Group in Mechelen, Antwerp. FNG is a Belgian fashion house known for the brands Fred & Ginger, Van Hassels, CKS and Baker Bridge.

The building was designed by Stéphane Beel Architects and is very eye-catching in the Mechelen station area.

The terrace was made of durable Accoya wood that hardly shrinks and swells, so that the terrace remains perfectly stable.

From the world’s largest covered mangrove to the park restaurant furniture and the window frames and facade of the gift shop, Accoya wood is loved by the Arnhem zoo:

“By choosing Accoya you make a sustainable choice. Because of our experience with the wood in previous projects in the park and because we are convinced of the quality, we do not hesitate to use the sustainable wood again”.

• Frank Simon, Technology Manager, Burgers’ Zoo

The  600m2 bistro bar and catering pavilion known as FortVier was created by four friends as a place to enjoy and celebrate life. Designed by H²A Architecture and Urban Planning, it features Accoya wood for the cladding, roof, and unique decorative logo.  With a largely open and free floor plan the building also has internal folding walls and can be rearranged inside into café, restaurant and party room areas.

“We deliberately chose Accoya because it is the ultimate sustainable product with a natural look.”

• Vivian Trienen, Director of the FortVier College Foundation

With the citizens’ initiative ‘Here once stood a church’, a long-held wish to return the old stained-glass windows of the Kleine Eusebiuskerk Church (demolished in 1990) to their original location in the Coehoornpark has been fulfilled.

Accsys was proud to support this by sponsoring the Accoya wood frames, working with local carpenters and craftsmen to create the unique, colourful and historic gate.

Café het Moortgat on the Ruiterstaart in Arnhem has commissioned Collectief Soepel from Arnhem to make a folding façade bench with weather-resistant wood. Offering an unexpected place to rest in front of the cafe, or enjoy a coffee in the sun, the bench can fold away at quiet times. Collectief Flexible chose Accoya because of the beautiful natural appearance of the wood combined with its durability for outdoor use.

Foodhall Arnhem, located on the Rijnkade in Arnhem, brings over a dozen world cuisines together in one place. The food hall hosts enthusiastic entrepreneurs and culinary talents providing a huge variety of the tastiest meals, snacks and drinks. Welcoming visitors is the beautiful entrance made of sustainable Accoya wood.

The walkway to the entrance of the Accsys offices is equipped with designer outdoor lighting: the STRADA by timberlab. It is a lamppost made of layers of Accoya wood, carefully curved into shape for a durable, elegant lighting solution that blends organic materials with modern techniques and aesthetics.  Left untreated, the wood will weather over time to a silvered colour as the fixtures become part of the natural environment.

Complementing this, we’ve also made it much easier to buy Accoya® wood for your own project.  Our ‘Where to Buy’ section provides you with local and national listings for the distributors and trained manufacturers best placed to help you, no matter where you live or what you want to do!

With this new, more tailored and local focus, we are also now presenting a truly global brand for Accoya. When you first visit the site, you will be automatically routed to your local version of the website – in your local language and showing you the most relevant content.  We have started this off with five localised websites for our current largest geographic markets, and are set up to extend this further as we continue to grow.

The new Accoya® website is a big step forward for us as we grow and evolve Accoya® and its brand, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Designed and manufactured by Bath Bespoke, Accoya was selected for the windows and French windows and doors throughout this stunning country home on the outskirts of Bath.

All the windows and doors were completely bespoke and crafted using traditional methods by the team at Bath Bespoke. Working closely with their clients and their selected architects, Bath Bespoke combined a mixture of styles – some sleek, contemporary elements and some period style mouldings to complement the exposed stone throughout the property.

Accoya was chosen as the ideal wood for the project thanks to its seamless quality finish and its ability not to shrink or swell during seasonal weather changes, meaning Accoya doors and windows open and close effortlessly all year round.