August 2019 | Gripsure®

To showcase the beauty, versatility, durability and sustainability of timber decking and cladding, the TDCA have ran a calendar competition which will feature twelve inspirational projects for each month with the aim to raise money for Cancer Research UK. The TDCA asked their members to submit entries of their stand out projects for the previous twelve months.

We are delighted that our two entries will feature in the calendar and that the Rising Path Project at the Botanical Gardens in Cambridge which we supplied with non-slip Accoya deck boards was named as the overall winner of the competition and will feature on the main cover as well as take the September spot.

The project captivated the judge, Peter Willson, with him commenting “it is a beautifully elegant structure that is entirely synergistic with the environment it sits within and made more so by the decision to use Accoya for both decking and balustrade. The overall feel of the structure is one of precision in the use of wood in its design and construction and is a delightful contrast to the range of species within and around it.”

The second project we submitted was of the European Redwood deck boards we supplied for the large boardwalk at Bristol Zoo’s Wild Place Project at their recently opened Bear Wood Exhibition and will be the feature project for December. The boardwalk reaches up to four metres in places to give visitors a unique view of the ancient woodland and the inhabitants living in them including European brown bears, European grey wolves, Eurasian lynxes and wolverines. Peter commented, ‘something of a feature in zoos nowadays, this particular elevated walkway is formed from Gripsure’s European redwood decking boards, is a major demonstration of the product’s robustness. Widening in places to accommodate large scale explanatory graphics, the boardwalk has been designed to be both functional and educational, whilst protective in its separation of inhabitants and visitors.’

We hope the competition will raise a lot of money for the charity and the incredible work that they do. Copies are available to pre-order now here.

Bear Wood, set in 7.5 acres of ancient woodland tells the story of our British woodlands, taking you through a journey starting 10,000 years ago to the present day. The exhibition has re-introduced native species who once roamed our woodlands including European brown bears, European grey wolves, Eurasian lynxes and wolverines.

Gripsure supplied over 17,000 ln/m of our Gripsure Classic product for the immersive boardwalk which puts visitors in the heart of the forest, giving panoramic views of the woodland and the unique species living in them by being elevated above the forest floor. We supplied our boards across a number of scheduled deliveries to Elmtree Garden Contractors so that they could keep to their construction programme and limit the amount of storage space required on site.

Gripsure took a brief from the zoo and we developed a specification to achieve:

longevity in a wet and damp woodland environment by providing boards treated to Sector Scheme 4 treatment classification (30 years)
longevity in a wet and damp woodland environment by providing boards treated to Sector Scheme 4 treatment classification (30 years)
a low slip risk for the anticipated high volumes of visitors which was achieved by using three non-slip inserts which has been tried and tested at other attractions
push chair and wheel chair friendly achieved through a smooth profile to avoid discomfort as well as being easy to maintain
deck boards cross cut to the width of the boardwalk to minimise waste and speed up installation

If the large boardwalk isn’t impressive enough, we also supplied infographic boards to create time hop sections and an imitation of roots around ‘Steve the tree’ to help tell the story of our woodlands and the species and habitats within them. Our custom infill service has had great feedback at Bear Wood, as well as at the Botanical Gardens in Cambridge, where we have demonstrated how you can create any design using our non-slip aggregate to produce stunning designs on the deck.

Gripsure will be shortly developing a full case study with further details about the project. We are delighted to have been involved and it was a pleasure to have dealt with all parties involved. Bear Wood not only tells the story of our ancient woodlands but also what we can do to help protect what is left and the species that live within them. That is a story we can all get behind and the team at Gripsure are looking forward to visiting the site together at our team day in October where we hope to see the bears through the autumnal leaves.