News Release - Status:- For immediate release (5 August 2009)
Building owners and designers have an increasing number of factors to take into account when considering which materials to specify for use in window fabrication within their buildings. These factors include Durability and Life expectancy, Air and Weather tightness, Stability throughout changing seasons, Energy efficiency, Future Maintenance cycles and both Initial and Whole Life costs. In addition sustainability and the impact on the environment of materials chosen is increasingly at the forefront of the decision making process.
These decisions become even more critical in exposed and coastal locations and this was evident to David Shaw when he purchased the Iconic 177 year 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.
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.
For high resolution images please contact Jamie Parmley on 01273 815940 Jamie@westgatejoinery.co.uk
Notes to Editors; Web links
Notes to Editors: Westgate Joinery
- Westgate Joinery is a trading division of East Sussex based joinery and timber group Specialist Joinery (South) Ltd (http://specialistjoinery-south.co.uk).
- They design, manufacture and install bespoke joinery and timber products including windows, doors, cladding, decking, conservatories, sliding and folding door systems in a range of timber species.
- Westgate Joinery, one the first company in the UK to use the revolutionary Accoya®
Notes to Editors: Accoya®
- Accoya® was be showcased on More4's groundbreaking new series "Grand Designs Trade Secrets" early in 2008 it was also used for the window manufacture by Westgate Joinery in Talkback Thames production for Channel 4 ‘The House that Kevin Built’ in conjunction with Kevin McCloud and the Grand Designs Team
- Industry experts have supported Accoya® performance and sustainability claims, with both the British Research Establishment and Napier University’s Centre for Timber Engineering reporting an unprecedented minimum 60-year service life for the product in cladding and external joinery applications.
- The Paint Advisory Bureau has published research findings that show Accoya® windows are the most cost effective option over the standard design life of a building, outperforming PVC, hardwood and softwoods.
- Accoya® is produced using a patented process that adapts sustainably grown softwoods by increasing the amount of acetyl molecules present in the wood. Pine wood has 2 per cent acetyl molecules, oak has 4 per cent and Accoya® has 20 per cent.
- Wood acetylation protects wood from rot by making it inedible to most micro-organisms and insects, without making it toxic. It also greatly reduces the wood's tendency to swell and shrink, making it less prone to cracking and ensuring that when painted it requires dramatically reduced maintenance.
- Since acetyl molecules are already present in all wood species, the process does not introduce anything that does not occur naturally in wood and Accoya® is therefore completely non-toxic.
- Accoya® high performance allows greater flexibility in design because it is not subject to the same standard practice which limits common, less stable timbers.
- The timber is guaranteed for 50 years against rot by the producer. This guarantee is also a conservative measure, compared with Building Research Establishment’s product review of a 60 year life expectancy.
- Extensive Testing of Accoya® for machining properties, gluing and coatings has now been completed. The most severe test at a joinery company includes a two year immersion of an uncoated Accoya® window in a water tank. After the period, the window opened with ease and no paint joints had been broken – even at the corners.
- Accoya® offers new levels of warranty against decay and factory coating finishes, and does not require any further preservative treatment at joinery factories.
Notes to editors; Energy Ratings
- In the UK energy ratings are overseen and administered by the British Fenestration Ratings Council (BFRC)
- The BFRC Scheme is the UK’s national system for rating the energy efficiency of windows and is recognised within the Building Regulations as a method to show compliance for your windows.
- Part L of the UK Building regulations are under review and will change in 2010 once the current consultation period is complete.
- It is widely believed that from 2010 the revised regulations in respect of Replacement windows in Domestic Properties will require a BFRC Energy rating of C minimum and a whole window U value of 1.8 W/(m²K) or better (and will be required to be labeled accordingly by the manufacturer). It is likely that the elemental centre pane U value method of assessing the energy efficiency of a window will only be able to be used for windows in historic buildings.
- Energy Ratings use a consumer-friendly traffic-light style A-E ratings guide similar to that used on ‘white’ goods (such as fridges, freezers, washing machines etc…). This ratings label can be used by you to make more informed choices about the energy efficiency of the windows you are looking to purchase.
- With carbon emissions high on the global agenda and the current high cost of fuel, we are all looking for ways to make our homes more energy efficient.
- Each window rated by the BFRC has a unique label.
- This label will display the following information:
- The rating level – A, B, C, etc…
- The level is measured in 10 kWh/(m²·K) bands; an energy rating of 0 or higher is given an A rating; an energy rating between minus 1 and minus 10 is given a B rating etc…
- The energy rating Measured in kWh/(m²·K) for example a product with an energy rating of minus 14 (C band)will lose 14 kilowatt hours per square metre per year.
- The whole window U value measured in W/(m²·K)
- The effective heat loss due to air penetration (Air leakage
measured in W/(m²·K)
- The solar heat gain
- Simply put this will determine how well a product will perform the functions of:
- Helping contain and conserve heat within your building in the winter
- Keep out the wind
- Resist condensation
- Contribute to improved sound insulation
Notes to Editors; The History of Belle Toute Lighthouse
- Circa 1691 petitions for a lighthouse were made due to the number of shipwrecks and sailors losing their lives at the hands of this dangerous stretch of coastline.
- In 1828 as a continuing result of many shipwrecks, a wooden lighthouse was built on the top of the cliffs at Beachy Head. So successful was this that the decision was made to build a permanent lighthouse.
- Belle Toute was built in 1832 and the location of the lighthouse was carefully planned so that the light was visible for 20 miles out to sea and that the light would be obscured by the edge of the cliff if sailors were too close to the shore.
- Over the years erosion of the cliff reduced the effectiveness of the lighthouse and in 1902 Belle Toute was decommissioned when the new lighthouse built at the base of the cliffs came into service.
- In 1903 it was sold by Trinity House and changed hands a number of times.
- In 1923 it was bought by a surgeon, Sir James Purves-Stewart.
- During the second world war with its owners being evacuated, Belle Toute was damaged due to shelling by Canadian Troops using it as target practice.
- In 1948 Sir James offered the building to the council and eventually they took it over due to its historical significance.
- In 1956 Belle Toute was leased out to Dr Edward Revill Cullinan who carried out works on the building and installed modern features such as septic tank, mains electricity and water.
- In 1962 the lease was sold and changed hands a number of times.
- In 1986 it was bought by the BBC who used it in the making of Fay Weldon’s “Life and Loves of a She-Devil”.
- In 1996 it was bought by Mark and Louise Roberts to use as a family home.
- In 1999, due to continuing erosion threatening the future of the building the lighthouse was moved 17 metres (56 feet) back from the edge of the cliff by the impressing engineering work of Abbey Pynford.
- In 2007 the Roberts' have put Belle Toute up for sale with the guide price of £850,000.
- In 2007 the Belle Toute Lighthouse Preservation Trust has been formed to raise enough money to purchase the lighthouse to open it to the public, provide bed and breakfast accommodation and maintain it for future generations of visitors to enjoy.
- In April 2008 Belle Toute was purchased by the Belle Toute Lighthouse Company Limited (David Shaw) with the intention of opening it to the public as a bed & breakfast and tourist centre.
- In May 2008 the Belle Toute Lighthouse Preservation Trust wound-up although the Belle Toute Lighthouse Preservation Society has been formed to allow the previous members retain a watchful interest over this magnificent building. The website will be kept updated as an information resource.
Contact for more information, images or interviews..
David Pattenden
Westgate Joinery
dave@westgatejoinery.co.uk
07802 264729
