Accoya contributes to sustainable home

One of the USA’s most sustainable family homes is currently under construction in Orange County California - with revolutionary Accoya wood selected as the primary construction material.

The 4,211 sq. ft. custom built single family residence in California’s desirable Newport Beach has become a benchmark in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes a (LEED) registered project, aiming for platinum certification upon completion.

As well as being home to the project managers, when complete it will serve as an educational tool for the local and international community and showcase stewardship of the environment.

Accoya has been selected for the fascia of the house, as well additional features including the balcony railing, rain screen siding, garage doors and jamb, fencing and decorative beams. Manufactured by Accsys Technologies, Accoya is one of the most advanced wood products on the market, using a patented wood modification technology to deliver outstanding levels of performance, stability and durability.  

Accoya is created by using a proprietary non-toxic process called acetylation on sustainably sourced woods. Providing the same or better high-quality and aesthetic qualities of the very best tropical hardwoods, it also boasts excellent environmental credentials using wood sourced only from FSC certified sustainable forests – while being 100% non-toxic.

Lisa Ayala, Accsys Technologies’ North American sales manager said: “Accoya meets the project managers’ request that all materials should be sustainably sourced from an environmentally-friendly manufacturer, should be durable, low maintenance and aesthetically pleasing. It’s encouraging to see the use of Accoya in this project and we’re confident that its use will make a significant contribution towards the LEED platinum certification.”

Extensive laboratory and field testing by leading institutes around the world has shown Accoya’s performance to be extremely reliable. With class 1 durability, Accoya is virtually rot proof and guaranteed for 50 years above ground.  

It is also dimensionally stable, with a 75% reduction in swelling and shrinking compared to untreated wood. Accoya’s superior resistance to UV degradation renders it highly suitable for California’s sunny climes. The low maintenance requirements and green credentials were key benefits for this project.

Jeff Jeannette of Jeannette Architects, Long Beach CA, said: “At Jeannette Architects, we recommend and specify Accoya wood materials for all exterior wood applications for its aesthetic, durable and sustainable attributes. We've had great success on several custom homes we've designed.

"On the Newport Green Home, we were asked to design a low maintenance home but wanted to include wood on the exterior. As the home is very close to the ocean, the use of Accoya for the rain screen, fascia and other locations was a perfect fit. We also integrated it into some interior decorative applications for continuity in materials. I'm very pleased with the performance of Accoya and will continue to use it for our building projects.”