Accoya Wood Chosen To Build a Bridge To Access Fort de Roovere İn The West Brabant Water Line

Accoya® wood has been chosen to build a bridge to access Fort de Roovere, the largest fort surrounded by a moat in the West Brabant Water Line. Situated in the Southwest of the province of North-Brabant, the West Brabant Water Line is a Dutch defensive line that dates from the early 17th century.

The design of the bridge helps maintain the Fort’s integrity without obscuring the dramatic view on the site. The project was recently awarded with the prestigious BNA (Union of Dutch Architects) Building of the Year 2011, Southern Region. Due to the success of the bridge, the architects are now looking to specify Accoya® for a 25 meter high viewing tower to be built in the same area.

RO&AD (Ro Koster and Ad Kil) architects built an almost invisible bridge that sits within the water and slope surrounding the Fort, following the existing line and reflecting the old trenches. The bridge is made of Accoya® wood sheet pilling on either side with a hardwood deck and stairs in between. Accoya® wood was chosen for its durability, stability and sustainable benefits and is constructed using a tongue and groove method.

“The Accoya® wood is perfect for external joinery, decking, cladding, canal lining and bridges as it exceeds the durability and stability of the very best tropical hardwoods, with a warranty of 50 years above ground and 25 years in ground contact” said Victor Vos, General Sales Manager Europe at Accsys Technologies. “Its exceptional properties make it the ideal material to answer the key specifications in the restoration project – recreation, education and respect of nature. Sustainably sourced from FSC and PEFC certified forests and naturally renewable, it helps create an environmentally friendly yet “avant-garde” structure that blends beautifully in the surroundings”.

Victor also commented “Another key reference project for Accoya® is in the Province of Flevoland, in Holland, which used 20 linear metres of canal lining that was installed over 16 years ago and which demonstrates the incredible performance of this modified wood and helped justify the decision to use Accoya® in the West Brabant restoration project. Using Accoya® in this type of canal lining scenario for 16 years which exhibited no deterioration, gives us confidence that this bridge structure will go on to provide a durable solution”.