The new timber-built observatory at Kielder Water & Forest Park has been fire protected using Arch Timber Protection’s Non-Com and Dricon fire retardant treatments.
Jarrow-based MH Southern supplied more than 10m³ of Douglas fir and almost 18m³ of whitewood for the project. Much of the Douglas fir was supplied in large sections for the exterior support columns and to create the cantilever frame of the building, while the whitewood was used for the frame carcassing of the building. Vincent Timber of Birmingham supplied around 280m² of Siberian larch half lap cladding and more than 3,500m² of Siberian larch PAR material.
All these timbers now have Non-Com Exterior surface spread of flame protection supplied by Arch, which also supplied Dricon-treated plywood boards for the building’s interior. Both treatments were carried out at Arch’s fire retardant treatment centre in Castleford, West Yorkshire.
The process involves high-pressure impregnation of the fire retardant solution into the timber followed by kiln drying and heat curing in the case of Non-Com Exterior.
