Timber products have been instrumental in the delivery of The Enterprise Centre at the University of East Anglia (UEA) – set to become the UK’s most sustainable commercial building. During the construction of a covered walkway at the flagship development, MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREMEwas installed to provide a durable and attractive finish to the external ceiling face.
Designed by architects Architype, BDP Engineers and Churchman Landscape Architects, The Enterprise Centre will be the UK’s first commercial building to achieve both Passivhaus and BREEAM Outstanding standards. Delivered by UEA’s Adapt Low Carbon Group and constructed by Morgan Sindall, a key aspect of the low carbon building is its long term performance – with the life cycle cost of every material carefully considered by the design team.
For a new covered walkway, over 600m2 of MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME was specified. The durable, acetylated wood panel will help to maintain the integrity of the structure whilst also ensuring it remains aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, the product requires low maintenance so will reduce both cost and disruption during its life cycle.
Applied to the walkway’s external face, the panels were finished with Osmo natural oil coating to deliver water and dirt resistance, moisture regulation, reduced wood swelling and shrinkage, and a maintenance free solution for more than 10 years.
Peter Clifton, Product Manager for MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME said: “Medite Tricoya Extreme is a high performance and very durablMEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME solution for external applications. Due to its enhanced natural resistance to water absorption, there is also less need for costly maintenance works and the surface will remain attractive and functional for a longer period of time.”
Ideal for use as a façade, cladding or exterior applications, MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME panels are manufactured to withstand humidity and varying weather conditions. Due to the proprietary acetylation treatment process used to treat the wood elements, MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME has a naturally altered unique chemical structure. This process greatly reduces the ability of the panels to absorb water – creating a stable and extremely durable product with a 50 year guarantee, backed by independent British Board of Agrément (BBA) assessment.
The Enterprise Centre is the latest in the list of UEA environmental trailblazers, such as the Elizabeth Fry Building, the Zuckerman Institute and the Julian Study Centre. Utilising the strength, versatility and durability of MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME, the project perfectly demonstrates the system’s ability to combine optimum performance and longevity which makes it an ideal solution at energy efficient developments.
