Events centre to be made out of straw bales

FROM the outside the new Driffield events centre looks like a conventional conference centre but when completed it will be the country's biggest straw-bale building.

Hundreds of bales of wheat straw – some of it provided free by farmers –will go into the centre at Driffield Showground.

The latest technology, as well as traditional materials, locally-sourced timber, chalk and lime, will be used in the low-carbon building, which will have a curved roof up to nearly 30ft high.

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The new building will have a massive hall and auditorium for concerts, exhibitions and private functions, capable of holding up to 700 people.

Driffield Agricultural Society is fundraising for the project, which will cost around 1.8m.

Project director Dr Nick Cheffins said: "The big bales will be held together with large-scale timber pegs and will come under compression from the weight of the roof, so they will be load-bearing like a brick wall.

"This building should have carbon footprint of better than zero because it will lock more carbon up in the structure than will be burned in the form of energy to design and build it."

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The building should generate nearly all its hot water and heating from biomass and solar hot water heaters on the roof and will be producing its own electricity from photovoltaic panels on the roof of the two wings.

Plans go before councillors for a decision to be made next Thursday.