Innovative urban landscape design using sustainable materials is key to creating greener, more livable cities. Urban spaces don’t only need to rely on vast green areas to make an impact.

Thoughtfully designed urban outdoor seating, strategically placed sustainable lighting, eco-friendly structures and sculptures can all enhance the physical and mental well-being while giving our towns and cities a more unique and inviting sense of identity.

Accoya’s role in sustainable urban landscape design

When designers, architects and specifiers consider materials for bringing their urban landscape design ideas to life, wood is the natural choice.

When sourced responsibly from sustainably managed forests, it becomes a highly renewable, carbon-negative building material – offering both aesthetic appeal and environmental benefits.

Accoya high-performance modified wood is a standout choice for sustainable urban landscaping. It is accredited by the FSC® and is Cradle to Cradle (C2C) overall Gold certified®. In fact, it is one of the very few building materials in the world to achieve C2C Platinum certification® for Material Health.

Non-toxic and with zero risk of leaching synthetic compounds or chemicals means it is safe for people and planet. Its unrivalled durability – with industry-leading warranties of up to 50 years – makes it ideal for long-lasting, low maintenance urban spaces. By choosing Accoya, designers can create sustainable, striking and resilient landscapes that stand the test of time.

Urban Outdoor Seating

Worth Square, New York

Under the gaze of New York’s iconic Flatiron Building at Worth Square, sits a wonderful example of urban landscape design by APE Studio and MoveART. The square hosts an elegantly designed space for people to meet and rest and its apex is a flowing, undulating piece of sustainable outdoor seating made from Accoya. Its inviting form encourages people of all ages to engage, interact and take five from the hustle and bustle of the urban plaza near Madison Square Park Conservancy.

Green Mile, Austria

Fotocredit: Stadt Graz/Foto Fischer

In the Austrian city of Graz, since 2013, Zinzendorfgasse, aka “Green Mile”, has been a vibrant experiment in urban change. It has been transformed into a slow street – a lively, greener meeting zone shared by both vehicles and pedestrians. Sustainable Accoya “parklets” by M. Hechenblaickner were created to provide robust and inviting urban outdoor seating where a wide diversity of people can pause, meet and enjoy. Built to last and leave a lasting impression.

The Strand, London

London is one of the busiest cities in the world and The Strand is one of the capital’s most congested and polluted streets. With the help of intelligent sustainable outdoor seating design and Accoya wood by LDA Design, it is now a more serene, greener destination. Three gently sweeping sculpted benches were installed on the newly pedestrianized section of The Strand for pedestrians to relax and enjoy in peace and tranquility of this new garden and lawn.

Urban Oasis, France

This development of a courtyard office building in Paris perfectly illustrates the transformative value of innovative urban outdoor seating. Harmoniously blending durable Accoya wood and steel together, the design completely changes the feel of the courtyard with an inspiring combination of sustainability, aesthetics and functionality. The result is an attractive space with sustainable outdoor seating that gives professionals working in the office a sense of mental well-being. The urban space was created through the collaboration of project architects BSTLL, project management by PILGRIM, and French artisan manufacturer Ateliers Georges Mahot.

Caernarfon Castle, Wales

At Wales’ first UNESCO World Heritage Site, Accoya wood decking and urban outdoor seating was installed as part of a £5m conservation and development project. Buttress Architects specified Accoya wood for the new rooftop viewing deck and seating areas which has similar tones to the castle’s original masonry and will weather in time to tie in with the overall look and feel of the castle. It adds a new contemporary layer to Caernarfon Castle’s rich history.

Award-winning Benches, Dubai

In the UAE emirate of Dubai, Accoya was selected by Szonyi for its impressive environmental credentials for this innovative sustainable outdoor seating design. The bench is constructed by Aubrilam using boomerang shaped Accoya sections, hinged at their apex along a linear steel axis, which enable the public to change the configuration of the seating. The advanced modified wood’s strength and durability mean it can withstand constant reconfiguration. This urban outdoor seating design won the top award at the Design Days Dubai Urban Commissions competition.

Thiepval Museum, France

President Macron unveiled this unique sustainable outdoor seating design in the “Peace Garden” at the Thiepval memorial near Amiens in Northern France. At 36 meters long, this bench was created to commemorate the WW1 Armistice and is the longest seat in the world made from sustainable Accoya modified wood. The bench that snakes through the wood, wrapping around and engaging with existing trees, is inspired by the ribbon of history that connects both the past and the future. Deliberately sanded and untreated to weather naturally, the Accoya wood was selected for its sustainability, minimal maintenance and 50-year above ground guarantee. A lasting tribute. Created in collaboration with Oxford Planters and Fisher Tomlin & Bowyer, the bench—crafted from 2.5 cubic metres of Accoya wood supplied by Arnold Laver—was built in six weeks and installed in two days as the centerpiece of the ‘peace garden.’

Floating Jetty, Amsterdam

On Oosterdokseiland island, just to the east of Amsterdam Centraal Station, a long floating jetty, featuring 5 sleek contemporary benches, were all created from Accoya wood distributed by Van Swaay and designed by IPV Delft. This sustainable outdoor seating and decking uses over 300 meters of Accoya deck planks which was selected not only for its eco credentials but also for to its unrivalled dimensional stability, long service life and low maintenance. After researching Oak and other wood species for the Jetty, De Boer and De Groot civil works chose Accoya due to its dimensional stability, long service life and sustainability credentials.

Urban Lighting Design

The Pike, CA USA

In downtown Long Beach, California, a newly reinvented and vibrant shopping, leisure and entertainment district called The Pike is a popular waterfront destination. Architects responsible for the urban lighting design specified lighting poles with double aluminum extrusion uprights and Accoya high-performance wood wood center accents and fixture arms. Accoya was selected as the project demanded sustainable lighting with strong, highly durable materials and finishes that provide a long-lasting solution. The Accoya light poles were created and designed by Structura, as part of their Duo Horizontal Arm range. With the help of P+R Architects who are now known as Retail Design Collaborative, The Pike has now been repositioned into a popular waterfront destination – a newly reinvented, vibrant shopping, dining and entertainment district, lining the Downtown Long Beach to Shoreline Village.

Biltmore Restaurant, AZ USA

The upscale area of Biltmore, Arizona, required sustainable lighting for a new concept restaurant called Hillstone. The urban lighting design brief was to seamlessly blend the indoor and outdoor experience and to do that, Accoya high-performance wood lighting poles were selected and strategically sighted. This sustainable lighting solution blends nature and style with stability and durability.

St Patrick’s Island, Canada

The urban landscape design company tasked with the St. Patrick’s Island project selected elegant sustainable lighting poles featuring Accoya high-performance wood for “The Tip” section of the island which overlooks downtown Calgary. As the project was close to a wetland, Accoya was the ideal choice due to its unrivalled durability, stability and ability to last 50 years above ground and 25 years in ground. The wood’s eco credentials also met the designer’s sustainable and environmental vision. A superb example of biophilic design. The project involved Structura for lighting design, CMLC for public engagement, and Civitas with W Architecture for park design.

Solar Bollards

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Structura, Inc (@structurainc)

Sustainable urban lighting design is becoming increasingly important to designers of urban projects. These solar bollards by Structure provide an eco-friendly way of helping create attractive and safer lighting for property, pathways, parking lots and public and commercial spaces. The product designers selected Accoya high-performance wood made from renewable and sustainable sources. It was chosen not only its aesthetics, but also for its durability, paint retention, dimensional stability and in-ground performance.

Lighting Bollards, France

Highly eco-responsible, these lighting poles by Aubrilam are made of Accoya high-performance wood, specified for their durability, stability and sustainability. The lights themselves are highly efficient in terms of energy usage, too.

Urban Structures Design

Play Pod, NSW Australia

A new super-neighborhood center in Eastern Creek, New South Wales provides a place to shop, eat, socialize, connect and play. The Architectural Pod Playground Designed by Arcadia Landscape Architecture and realised by Tilt Industrial Design, features a piece of bespoke urban landscape design made from Accoya wood. Made to an organic design, this innovative curved timber Play Pod structure is created using Accoya beams and battens as key design features. Lightweight, stable, sustainable and durable, Accoya will give today’s and future children decades of safe and inspiring play. The curved glulam beams and battens were fabricated by Curvwood using Accoya wood, which was supplied by Mathews Timber Sydney.

Rosenfeld Park, Basel, Switzerland

Sometimes the best urban landscape project by Holzpur is actually the most fun one. Take this playground in Rosenfeld Park in Basel, Switzerland which projects a quirky and innovative design language and features a series of climbing eggs. Made from a combination of robust, high-quality Accoya and locust wood, the eggs invite children to develop their creativity and skills. The durability and stability of Accoya ensure they have fun learning in a safe and engaging play environment.

Japanese Pavilion, English Channel Islands

© Chris George Photography

This brand new Accoya wood pavilion was installed at Sausmarez Park on Guernsey in the English Channel Islands by Paul’s Joinery Ltd. The Japanese style pavilion is a replacement for the previous pavilion that had become rotten and unsafe for visitors. The charity project selected Accoya high-performance wood due to its high stability, durability and long lifespan with a guarantee to withstand the elements. All timbers used to create the pavilion are Accoya, except the cedar roof shingles.

Autistic Garden, London

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is one of the world’s premier annual garden events and in 2024, Accoya wood and Accoya Color were selected for the urban landscape design of the National Autistic Garden. Designed in collaboration with the National Autistic Society, the designers, Dido Milne of CSK Architects and Sophie Parmenter in collaboration with the National Autistic Society, created distinct spaces that represent different type of social interaction. Accoya’s superior sustainability credentials and durability made this wood the obvious choice for the garden’s pavilions and the boardwalk utilized Accoya Color, chosen for its weather resistance, longevity and slip resistant qualities, which were important for when it was relocated to Scotland after the show.

Urban Sculptural Design

Soundwave, NSW Australia

A highly personal piece of urban landscape design was created for a private garden in Vaucluse on the South Head east of Sydney. This Sculptural Soundwave Symphony consists of a sequence of 270 laminated Accoya wood blades that make up the sound waves of the client’s daughter’s wedding song. Each blade of the 16-meter long soundwave has its own unique contours and dimensions and the whole installation has the illusion of floating. The adjoining deck is also made of Accoya which was also selected for its unmatched dimensional stability, durability, and sustainability. Outhouse Design led the project, collaborating with Curvwood, a renowned Sydney-based glulam manufacturer, to bring the vision to life.

Nine Elms, England

Situated near the iconic Battersea Power Station on the south bank of the River Thames in Nine Elms, London, this Accoya wood sculpture was designed by MoveART to create a sense of peace and inspiration to this densely populated area. The regenerated Battersea Power Station has attracted throngs of new visitors and residents and these impressive examples of urban landscape design have brightened up the area. Accoya sustainable wood was specified for all sculptures for its exceptional durability and stability and sustainability benefits.

Gascoigne Park, England

This vibrant public space in Barking, East London, is renowned for its innovative and sustainable landscape design and is the perfect demonstration of the versatility and durability of Accoya wood. Designed by MoveART to create an inviting environment, the three moveable sculptures enable the users to change each object. The exceptional durability and barefoot-friendly nature of Accoya enables visitors to comfortably engage with the sculptures free from the risk of splinters.

If you need any more information about Accoya applications for urban landscape design, please contact us.