Grow Your Own Classroom

This is the fourth project undertaken for Plumpton college, each project being more ambitious than the last, which is testament to the college’s commitment to the environment. The Netherfield Centre in Netherfield, www.thenetherfieldcentre.co.uk, provides training, advice, support and networking for sustainable food and farming and aims to assist farmers and growers to keep farming in a sustainable way.

Having purchased a new site in Brightling, the college engaged Conker to design a new teaching block to mimic the success of the Living Classroom at Ivyland farm, a rammed earth highly insulated classroom. The site is near perfect for an ultra low energy building, being a south facing slope, with shelter from the north and south west prevailing winds.

High levels of fabric insulation and thermal mass were desired to deliver good thermal comfort with minimal need for heating and no need for cooling. Rammed earth was considered, but after further research it was decided to use Hemcrete by Lime Technology Ltd, www.limetechnology.co.uk. We were attracted by the simplicity of the wall build-up, being a solid monolithic material surrounding a simple timber frame, lime rendered on each side.

All elements of the design will be to Passivhaus standard, including mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system and a ground linked cooling tube which was successfully used at the Pines Calyx^TM www.pinescalyx.co.uk

One side of the roof will be covered with sedum as this provides a habitat and also a source of pollen for the proposed apery. The other side will be simple corrugated sheeting to allow rainwater to be collected for toilet flushing and irrigation of poly tunnels.

Both solar thermal and photovoltaic panels will be installed; wind power, biomass boiler and water power are to be investigated.

Planning Permission granted in November 2008.

 

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