Peakhill Associates worked with the Driffield Agricultural Society on the delivery of a energy efficient low carbon meeting place based upon bio-renewable materials including timber, straw, hemp and lime. Many of these materials are capable of being produced locally would demonstrate some of the sustainable building products that are available from agriculture landscapes such as Yorkshire.
The client brief was for a 1,600 m2 building containing the following elements:
• Exhibition hall of up to 800 m2 (which could be divided into two spaces of 500 m2 and 300 m2 by a retractable sound proofed partition)
• A suit of up to six offices and meeting rooms extending to 320 m2
• Offices, services (toilets, kitchens) up to 280 m2
• Biomass boiler and renewable energy centre up to 200 m2
• The resulting building was designed as the largest clear span straw bale building in Europe. Planning permission was obtained in the autumn of 2010.
