These decisions become even more critical in exposed and coastal locations and this was evident to David Shaw when he purchased the Iconic 177year old Belle Toute Lighthouse perched on the cliffs above the sea at Beachy Head, Eastbourne, Sussex in 2008 and set about an extensive renovation programme to convert the historic building into an exclusive and very unique Guest House.
With the exception of the metal windows around the top of the tower enclosing the area where the light was once housed the remaining existing windows were of timber construction in a mixture of styles and timber species and were generally in very poor condition, letting in both wind and rain; they were also inefficient in terms of energy conservation being in the main single glazed.
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Following on from discussions with the Local Authority planning and conservation department Mr Shaw made the decision to replace all the windows and set about obtaining advice and quotes for suitable replacements. Bearing in mind the age and location of the building the local conservation officer expressed a preference that the replacement windows should be constructed in timber if at all possible and whilst Mr Shaw in principal was happy to go along with this preference he was keen to ensure that if possible the manufacturer was UK based and ideally local to Sussex; he also insisted that the following main criteria were adhered to by this final choice of window manufacturer:
The windows should be of proven design, air and watertight
As energy efficient as possible
Require limited ongoing maintenance
Be cost effective both in terms of initial and whole life cost
Be manufactured from timber species which are as durable as possible but also from certified sustainable sources
Have secure and reliable hinge and locking systems
After discussing the project with a number of companies and also carrying out extensive research on the internet Mr Shaw settled on Sussex joinery and timber window manufacturer, Westgate Joinery using the revolutionary timber ‘species’ Accoya® for his windows.
Westgate Joinery, part of timber manufacturing group Specialist Joinery (South) Ltd has championed the use of Accoya® as an innovative alternative to using UPVC, Aluminium, Hardwood or preservative treated softwood for the fabrication windows, doors and other Fenestration products. The company has been working closely with the Dutch producers of the timber, Titan Wood, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Accsys Technologies plc to introduce the material to the UK marketplace.
According to Westgate Joinery’s Managing Director David Pattenden, Accoya® is an ideal choice for the Belle Toute Lighthouse window project. He commented that in addition to the benefits afforded by Accoya® the replacement windows now being installed in this landmark project have the added benefit of high quality stainless steel or ‘tri-coated’ multipoint locking systems and ‘easy clean’ hinges together with an ‘A’ rating under the BFRC’s Energy Rating scheme demonstrating the energy saving credentials of the product.
Mr Pattenden explains that Accoya® uses uniform, plantation grown sustainable timber which undergoes a chemical modification process known as acetylation using non-toxic acetic acid to change the cell structure throughout the timber. Invisible to the naked eye, the change creates the most moisture resistant and durable timber available for joinery and window production. It comes with a minimum service life of 60 years according to the Building Research Establishment (BRE), which combined with extended maintenance cycles gives significantly lower whole life cost. It also offers class one durability together with exceptional coatings performance and stability through changes in moisture content throughout the climatic seasons.
The launch of Accoya® in 2007 was the culmination of four years of extensive engineering, product testing field testing and market review by leading scientists whose aim was to create a more robust and sustainable material than other timber species in use. The material is produced from a new plant at Arnhem, Netherlands. The plant is the first of its type and represents a multi-million pound investment in capital, research & development.
Mr Pattenden considers Accoya® will have a great potential impact in the future of the UK joinery industry and will revolutionise commercial production because of its properties. The result of more than 75 years’ development work, it is the Gold standard in wood modification and is increasingly attracting major interest from architects, specifiers and other manufacturers.
The fact that Accoya® demonstrates only negligible changes in sectional dimensions when exposed to variations in moisture content is a major advantage. There is no need to design around movement in the way that solid timber demands.
Furthermore, said Mr Pattenden the base price of Accoya® enables us to offer joinery with durability at least equal to that of products manufactured from species such as European oak and teak, at far less cost.
Westgate Joinery have now used the material in numerous diverse and successful projects and Mr Shaws decision to use Accoya® for the Belle Toute project is yet another vote of confidence in the material.
