– Innovative products Accoya® wood and Medite® Tricoya® Extreme feature in the award winning LG Smart Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show
– The Silver Gilt Medal winning garden is designed by acclaimed landscape architect Hay Joung Hwang
– Accoya wood is included in a water feature, furniture, cladding and pergolas and Medite Tricoya Extreme features in the roof and fascias
The environmentally-friendly modified wood brand Accoya has a starring role at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016, taking place between the 24 and 28th May. Accoya features in the LG Smart Garden – one of just 16 official Show Gardens at the 2016 event. The garden is inspired by the concept of intelligent homes and demonstrates how technology can be incorporated seamlessly between home and garden.
The LG Smart Garden was awarded a RHS Silver Gilt Medal alongside eight other show gardens. The minimalist lifestyle garden is designed by acclaimed landscape architect Hay Joung Hwang and acts as a metaphor for modern life, contrasting natural and artificial elements while blending a ‘cool’ Scandinavian style with oriental tranquility.
Technology is a critical element of the garden and is incorporated throughout the design. Smart technology is used to monitor the garden through plant sensors to track its health. Changes can then be made to the garden’s lighting and irrigation, all accessed via Belkin’s WeMo app from the LG G5 smartphone.
Landscape architect Hay specified Accoya, an environmentally responsible and extremely durable wood product, to create the garden’s show stopping feature – a water wall crafted from wood. The use of Accoya is essential as the wood doesn’t bend and warp like traditional wood products. It is therefore the only wood to remain structurally stable when immersed in water for longer periods of time.
Hay said of the LG Smart Garden: “I wanted to create a relaxing and tranquil garden with a soft romantic feel, contrasting this with technology and showing how the ever connected world can actually assist with our enjoyment of our gardens and outdoor spaces.
“I decided to incorporate a beautifully crafted wooden water wall to add to the levity and movement in the garden, and the cascading water allows light to dance from the structure. This feature could only have been achieved using Accoya. No other wood was an option as Accoya is the only wood to remain stable when immersed in water.
“Accoya is excellent for use outdoors which is why I recommend it to many of my private clients, and have used it at both RHS Chelsea Flower Show and the Chaumont-sur-Loire International Garden Show. It is guaranteed for 50 years above ground, is virtually rot proof and its improved stability means that swelling and shrinkage is reduced by 75% resulting in coatings last twice as long and is so easy to maintain. ”
The garden is crafted by master carpenter Alan Hayward and constructed by leading landscape firm Randle Siddeley, with Accoya and Medite Tricoya Extreme also being specified to create 5.5 metre tall garden pergolas which add height and texture to the garden. These have been incorporated to support the bright and natural look and feel of the garden. Accoya was also used to clad the interior element of the garden.
All of the Scandinavian style furniture is made from Accoya and designed by Dutch furniture design company Maasstoel. Using only sustainable material including Accoya, Maasstoel creates striking yet simple furniture designs and has provided two tables and stools for Hay’s show garden.
Hay is just one of six female designers chosen to exhibit at this year’s show, which is expected to receive over 165,000 people through its doors over the course of five days. Originally from South Korea, Hay now calls London her home and launched her own company, Hay Designs, in 2014. Hay first came to global prominence after her garden design was chosen for the Chaumont-sur-Loire International Garden Show in France in 2014, where she used Accoya to create the garden ‘The Balance’.
Manufactured by Accsys, Accoya offers outstanding durability compare to the toughest hardwood. Made from FSC® certified wood from legal, manageable and sustainable forests, Accoya is produced using a modification process which creates one of the most advanced modified wood products on the market today.
Laura Ladd, head of marketing at Accsys Technologies said: “For Accoya to be chosen by such an acclaimed designer to be used at the world’s most famous garden show demonstrates the high quality of wood. “Water features aren’t usually built using wood – traditional softwoods and hardwoods tend to warp and become misshapen easily. This is something which doesn’t happen to Accoya, this is why the product has proved popular for a range of outdoor and even structural applications. From cladding and decking to outdoor furniture, Accoya has proven time and time again that it should definitely be considered the gold standard for outdoor use.”
Accoya is used for a wide range of commercial and home applications including window and door frames, external cladding, large structural projects and decking.