Arch Timber Protection Balances Protection and Sustainability at Netherlands Institute for Ecology

The Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) is now housed in a purpose-built timber and glass building designed to the highest standards of sustainability and Arch Timber Protection’s fire retardants are safely protecting the building and staff at the site.

Timber is a crucial and significant element in the new building. Thermally-modified Plato WOOD, produced from sustainable spruce, has been used for external beams and cladding. These components are protected using Arch’s NON-COM E xterior, a polymer-based fire retardant to provide a proven and highly effective surface spread of flame protection. Interior Plato WOOD spruce timbers used in the public areas of the building are also fire retardant-protected with Arch’s DRICON, a water-based fire retardant treatment. The timber and the DRICON treatment have been supplied by Foreco Dalfsen.

The timbers for NON-COM Exterior protection had to be accurately produced and then carefully shipped in segments to the UK, treated by Arch and then shipped back to the site for construction.

Arch Timber Protection general manager, Arno van Oosten, says: "NON-COM Exterior is the only leach-resistant fire retardant pressure treatment available on the European market. This added an extra step to the building process because everything had to be mapped out in great detail and prepared before it could be sent over for treatment by Arch in the UK. However, we were able to work directly with the timber supplier and builder and make sure that all the steps were as cost-effective as possible."

Claus & Kaan Architects designed the building according to the cradle-to-cradle (C2C) ecologically-sound building concept.