Accoya, the world-leading modified wood, has been selected to create a high quality decking area for a swimming pool within a UNESCO World Heritage site in Puglia, southern Italy.
Trulli of Alberobello, which forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage site, is renowned for its striking architecture, natural limestone buildings and surrounding park areas. Visitors flock to the area in their thousands each year for its stunning architecture and scorching weather, with temperatures sometimes reaching around 48 degrees.
Given the complexities of building within a UNESCO area, combined with the pressures of a hot yet sometimes temperate climate, it was essential that an aesthetically pleasing and durable product was found to provide a decking solution.
Accoya, manufactured by Accsys Technologies, was selected for the project as it is one of the most superior wood products on the market today. Created using an advanced, non-toxic, modification technology, Accoya delivers outstanding levels of performance, including stability, sustainability and durability. Made with 100% FSC certified wood, Accoya is in an attractive wood product which matches or exceeds the properties of tropical hardwood. It is perfect for a variety of uses from windows and doors to external cladding, structural projects and decking.
Andrea Meles of Italian distributors Kobel, who supplied Accoya for the project said: “It was important that the material we selected required minimal maintenance. In terms of both aesthetics and environmental credentials Accoya fits exceptionally well with the local area and the culture of the UNESCO World Heritage site. With its outstanding properties it was difficult to find in another timber product which could match Accoya.”
For the decking specification, 52mm deep Accoya wood was wire brushed for a textured and distressed finish, before being coated and laid around the swimming pool – part of the in the grounds of a local guesthouse. The durability of Accoya means the decking won’t shrink and swell given the wet surroundings.
Bryan Crennell, Director of Sales and Marketing at Accsys Tecnhologies said, “Our customer is delighted with the quality and finish of the decking. Accoya is proven as a sustainable, durable, and stable material, which is guaranteed against rot and decay for 50 years for exterior use - making it perfect for a demanding outdoor application such as this.
“A swimming pool would not traditionally have a wooden decked area, but the unique qualities of Accoya means that people now have this choice.”
