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Back to nature as new agriculture centre gets a woollen overcoat
ONE of the oldest materials known to man is being used to reinforce the green credentials of a new building on the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate.
Sheep's wool used in an innovative way is providing the insulation for the 5.1m Regional Agricultural Centre, which is intended to provide a showcase for the best of Yorkshire's produce.
Shortly after construction work started, the Queen, who was visiting last year's Great Yorkshire Show, unveiled a commemorative plaque in a dry stone wall.
The project, which has the support of Yorkshire Forward, has a range of environmentally friendly features. It is based around a timber frame made of Douglas fir. Around 75 tonnes of the laminated timber have been used, equivalent to 100 trees – all from renewable sources.
The shell of the Regional Agricultural Centre – off Railway Road behind the Sainsbury's store – is now in place and this week has seen the installation of insulation made from British wool, which will help prevent heat loss, making it cost effective to run and reducing its carbon footprint.
The Yorkshire Agricultural Society's deputy chief executive, Heather Parry, said: "We're obviously used to seeing sheep at the showground and they are a very important part of Yorkshire's regional economy so it seems particularly fitting that the building should feature fleeces used in such an innovative way.
"If more projects adopt this method of insulating buildings we hope we can increase the value of fleeces to help support our sheep farmers."
With each fleece providing one square metre of insulation, a total of 1,500 fleeces have been needed for the project.
A viewing panel will be created within the building so that visitors can see the insulation for themselves.
The new Regional Agricultural Centre will include Fodder, a caf and regional food shop, as well as offices for Yorkshire Agricultural Society staff and other rural not-for-profit organisations.
Other sustainable features include a ground heat recovery system, solar thermal panels and rainwater harvesting. Dry stone walling and a sedum roof will help the building blend into its surroundings and emphasise its strong links to agriculture.
The centre has been designed by architects P+HS of Leeds and Stokesley and is being built by Harrogate construction firm Houseman and Falshaw. It should be completed in time for the annual Great Yorkshire Show, which this year runs from July 14 to 16.
Ten per cent of the funding for the project has come from Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency. It follows on from the 12m which the Yorkshire Agricultural Society has invested over the last decade in the 250-acre showground, which became the permanent headquarters of the Great Yorkshire Show in 1951.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
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