Timber frame for green building built
2008-10-31
An environmentally-friendly building for the Regional Agricultural Centre in Yorkshire has had the first phase of construction on its sustainable timber frame completed.The frame, built from 75 tonnes of sustainably sourced wood, or the equivalent of 100 trees is part of a £5.1 million project that will feature various energy efficiency measures.
Yorkshire Agricultural Society deputy chief executive, Heather Parry, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "It is exciting to see the timber frame rising out of the ground and fascinating to see what can be achieved using a natural resource.
"We hope others will be inspired by what is being achieved in this cutting edge building."
Built by Houseman and designed by P+HS Architects, the building will feature a screen that will display real time details of its energy performance.
It will also feature a ground source heat recovery system and solar thermal panels to generate heat for the building and its water.
A sedum grass roof will help the building maintain a comfortable temperature, reducing the amount of energy that it expends heating or cooling as well as helping reduce water run off.
It will also feature rainwater harvesting to minimise water use.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, water use also emits carbon dioxide as companies have to use energy to produce and deliver it.
