Accoya chosen for ground-breaking Scottish life sciences building

Accoya, the world leading modified wood produced by Accsys Technologies, has been used in the construction of a £3m life sciences building in a state-of-the-art Scottish technology park.

The new building, designed by Threesixty Architecture, is the first building to be completed at the new Inverness Campus.  

Tasked with using timber to clad the Highlands-based building, architects Threesixty opted to use Accoya and cited its durability and BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating as key deciding factors.  

Using traditional timber cladding for the building was ruled out by the architects due to associated weathering and maintenance issues. As the building was designed for the life sciences sector it was crucial that a crisp and confident aesthetic was achieved.

Distributors Russwood, supplied 600m2 of Accoya which was used to clad the building with consistent colouring and a sharp, clean aesthetic.                                                  
Created using a propriety process which applies the latest acetylation technology, Accoya is one of the most advanced modified wood products on the market and delivers outstanding levels of performance, stability and durability.

Andrew Lilly, Architect at Threesixty Architecture said: “The stable nature of Accoya meant that mitred edges were possible, allowing for the building to have crisp, clean, and durable edges. The horizontal opened board Accoya timber was finished in two different colours, grey and warm wood, to allow for contrast and to define the architectural language while providing the warmth and tactile nature associated with natural timber. Accoya was expressed as vertical fins to enclose the escape stair and form the plant and cycle store.  

“We were keen to minimise maintenance requirements. Accoya’s unique properties, including excellent dimensional stability, helped achieve this through preventing shrinking and swelling and increasing the life of coatings. Two different colours of vacuum coating were specified and it is anticipated that these will last much longer before needing recoating when compared to traditional timber cladding.”

Able to cope with the harshest weather conditions, Accoya is proven to be a sustainable, durable, and stable material, which is guaranteed against rot and decay for 50 years when used above ground and 25 years below ground.

Laura Ladd, head of marketing for Accsys Technologies said: “Accoya is consistently specified for the highest-quality construction projects throughout Europe.  This is partly because Accoya can withstand extreme weather conditions, such as the climate in the Scottish Highlands. As a result, Accoya requires less maintenance and upkeep compared to other products on the market, making it a cost-effective wood product.”

Created using Accsys Technologies’ propriety acetylation technology, Accoya delivers outstanding levels of performance including class 1 durability, sustainability and dimensional stability which prevents cladding joints from opening or twisting.  Made from FSC® certified wood from legal, manageable and sustainable forests, Accoya, is an attractive wood product which is Cradle to Cradle Gold certified and is perfect for a variety of uses from windows and doors to external cladding, structural projects and decking.