Newsletter April 2009

Road bridge supporting structure made from Accoya® wood

The city of Sneek in the Netherlands can proudly claim a world first: a wooden bridge built for the heaviest traffic class whose supporting structure has been made using revolutionary Accoya® wood. The client, the Province of Friesland, is justifiably proud of this accomplishment.

This visually dramatic structure, designed to resemble the hull of an upturned boat, stands at the southern entrance to the city across the A7 road and has a free span of 32 metres. It is more than 16 metres high by 14 metres wide and has a service life of at least 80 years.

The bridge’s 12 metres wide steel deck is supported by two curved timber frames in the form of a Gothic arch. The two curved outermost main beams are approximately 1.10 metres thick and are separated by a king post. There are three layers of interwoven wooden members between them. The 1.10 by 1.40 metre principal laminated beams measure more than 30 metres in length and weigh approximately 24 tonnes each.

A bridge of this size and structure can only be made from an exceptional kind of wood – one with outstanding dimensional stability, durability and reliability, capable of being laminated in large sections. That is why Accoya® wood was specified.

Accoya® is produced by Titan Wood BV in Arnhem, the Netherlands. Using leading edge technology and an environmentally friendly process, based on the science of wood acetylation, all Accoya® wood is produced from well managed, sustainable sources.

Bridging the gap between today and tomorrowTitan Wood Ltd.66 Hammersmith Road London W14 8UDUnited Kingdom

T: +44 (20) 8114 2510 F: +44 (20) 8114 2510 E: info@titanwood.co.uk

Titan Wood Inc.5000 Quorum Drive Suite 620Dallas, Texas 75254

T: +1 (972) 233 6565 F: +1 (972) 233 6568 E: info@titanwood.com

Titan Wood B.V.Postbus 2147 6802 CC ArnhemThe Netherlands

T: +31 (0)26 366 4122 F: +31 (0)26 366 5936 E: info@titanwood.nl

www.accoya.info

© 2009 Titan Wood Limited. ACCOYA and the Trimarque Device are registered trademarks owned by Titan Wood and may not be used or reproduced without written permission. Titan Wood Limited is a subsidiary of the Accsys Technologies PLC group of companies which is listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market and Euronext Amsterdam by NYSE Euronext under the symbol ‘AXS’.

To the best of the knowledge and belief of Titan Wood Limited the information contained in this document is in accordance with the facts and is provided on the basis that Titan Wood Limited and/or any of its affiliates, officers, employees or advisers are not liable for any loss or damage whatsoever in respect of the accuracy or completeness of such information or the result of having acted upon it.

All ACCOYA® wood is produced from well managed, sustainable sources, including FSC, PEFC and other regio-nally certified woods.

The mark for products from well managed forests.

CU-COC-807363 © 1996 FSC

Accoya® wood by the seasideAccoya® wood’s ability to withstand the harshness of salty sea environments is demonstrated in the new Vooges beach pavilion in Zandvoort, the Netherlands. Accoya® wood has been used for the body of the pavilion, as well as for the window frames and doors. Built by Veenendaal-based TimmerSelekt Doornenbal, the pavilion is dismantled each winter and reassembled in the Spring. It is an excellent example of the use of Accoya® wood in a demanding environment.

First Accoya® laminated façade panelsThe new GoGo Tours office building in Rotterdam was the first project in which Accoya® laminated wood was used as façade cladding. The cladding was made by GLC Houtconstructies in Duiven, the first company to produce laminated FSC façade panels from Accoya®. GLC became involved with the project after Mei Architecten en Stedenbouwers in Rotterdam asked the Dutch Timber Information Centre (Centrum Hout) for advice on suitable wood for their office building. Evert Laarman of GLC says, “Its stability and absence of cracks make Accoya® wood extremely durable. This is also the reason why we weren’t afraid to glue it laterally. This method of exterior laminating is difficult to achieve with other woods.”

Accoya® wood’s first new- build large-scale project The Staedion housing corporation was the first housing corporation in the Netherlands to use Accoya® wood in a major new-build project. The Nieuwe Vaart project in The Hague comprises 122 owner-occupied properties and 48 rental properties. The use of Accoya® wood fits in well with the social responsibility of housing corporations like Staedion that can use it to contribute to sustainable building and a cleaner environment, as well as benefitting from decreased maintenance intervals and costs.

GoGo Tours opts for Accoya® façade cladding

First large-scale Accoya® wood new-build project in The Hague

More about the bridge

Accoya® wood on the coast

Accoya® wood stars on Grand Designs

Inside:

Class 1 durability (the best available) and increased hardness.

Outstanding dimensional stability (greatly reduced swelling and shrinkage).

Improved mold and insect resistance.

Consistent, measurable modifi-cation quality, from the surface to the core of every sample.

Superior resistance to UV degradation when translucent coated. Increased coating life.

Easy to machine and manually process.

Lasting at least 50 years above ground and 25 years in-ground.

Highly improved thermal insulation in comparison with commonly used wood species.

Retained natural strength and beauty.

Consistent supply from sustainably managed certified sources.

Non-toxic.

Environmentally compatible.100 % recyclable and naturally renewable.

Grand Designs for Accoya® wood Accoya® wood has been featured on the popular British TV programme Grand Designs on Channel 4, where it was used in the construction of an energy-efficient home designed by RIBA architect Duncan Baker-Brown. Two doors and eight windows made by Westgate Joinery were made from Accoya® wood and featured Pilkington double glazing to help optimise the thermal efficiency of the property. This special energy-efficient home is now on permanent display at the Building Research Establishment’s Innovation Park in Watford, UK.

© BSW Timber Limited

Wood. Without Compromise

“Everyone is wildly enthusiastic”

“A bridge made of wood with a service life of around 80 years — this was our key challenge in the search for the right type of timber. The wood had to exhibit a sufficient load bearing capacity and have minimal swelling and shrinkage. It seemed an impossible task until we discovered Accoya®, which has all the properties that we needed. We now have a bridge that everyone is wildly enthusiastic about and which even won the 2008 Public Prize for the most striking construction in Sneek. We are all delighted.”

Architect, H. Meijer from the Onix-Achterbosch Architectuur collaboration

Haiko Meijer, who formed the architectural trio that designed the bridge with his colleague Alex van de Beld and Hans Achterbosch from Leeuwarden, said of Accoya® wood: “It is the new elixir of life for the timber industry. Our idea was to create a landmark for Sneek that symbolised the strength of the water, its sailing heritage and the city itself. If Accoya® did not exist, we would never have been able to construct this bridge from timber because no other type of wood meets the durability requirements. It is a fantastic product, with a great future.”

Design engineer, E. Lüning from Adviesbureau Lüning in Doetichem

Part of the vision was for a bridge that was eco friendly. Accoya® wood’s compelling green credentials made this possible and, after much research, Emil Lüning concluded that it was the right choice. “Its superb dimensional stability means that coatings last longer and maintenance is less frequent. It is also made using an environmentally friendly process; since no toxins are added, the wood can be recycled and the environment is safeguarded. It would not be feasible to use traditional timber to construct connections such as those used here, which are at an angle.”

Constructor, J. Schaffitzel of SchaffitzelHolzindustrie (Germany)

SchaffitzelHolzindustrie, based in the German town of Schwäbisch Hall, builds wooden bridges around the world. Construction of the road bridge in Sneek was a particular challenge for Schaffitzel as this was his first experience of using Accoya® wood. He noted, “The most important task was to find the right gluing method. The special properties of Accoya® ensure that the bridge retains its shape and that we do not have to worry about rot spreading from the end grain. This guarantees the wood’s durability. In addition, this type of timber has a beautiful, homogenous appearance.”

Project manager, J. van Aken from Wageningen-based SHR

“Accoya® wood is the new elixir of life for the timber industry”

“Durability via an environmen-tally friendly process”

“A truly beautiful knot-free bridge”

“We saw Accoya® wood as the only wood that could do this”

SHR has long been involved in the development of acetylated wood. The company understands Accoya® wood’s qualities better than anyone and advised on its application, as well as conducting research. The objective of one study was to examine the properties of threaded ends of the bolts after they had been glued into the Accoya® wood. Jaap van Aken stated, “The results of the tension tests were very positive. We already knew about the wood’s durability as well as its minimal swelling and shrinkage. In addition, we were certain that Accoya® wood is the only type of timber that could have met the exacting requirements for the bridge.”

45

laye

rs h

igh

16

met

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hig

h

6 layers wide

12 metre wide

32 metres long

5 metres

The clients, S. Hoitinga & P. de Jong from Friesland local authoritiy

Stop press

Pre-stressed cables with a 180-tonne force were used to apply tension to the supporting beams. This induced shrinkage of only 9 mm in the principal girder.

Three cranes were needed to lift each bridge section.

500 m3 of Accoya® wood were used in its construction. This equates to 255 tonnes of timber and 13 full truck loads of Accoya® wood.

Second Wooden Bridge Commissioned

Following the resounding success of the first Accoya® wooden road bridge, a second bridge across the A7 in Sneek, at Molenkrite intersection, has been commissioned. The bridge will be built in 2010.

“With the first bridge we showed that we were willing to accomplish something new and exciting. We had always planned to build a second wooden bridge and it will be wonderful to have two such eye-catching structures here in Sneek,“ said to Deputy Director of the Province, Piet Adema.