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BUILDING CONTRACTOR ANNOUNCED FOR SHOWCASE BUILDING AT YORKSHIRE SHOWGROUND

Ambitious plans designed by P+HS Architects to create the Regional Agricultural Centre for the North are close to fruition with news that the Yorkshire Agricultural Society has appointed the building contractor after a competitive tender process.

Houseman & Falshaw Ltd of Harrogate will begin work next month (June) on the £5.1m project at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate. The development will see the creation of a prestigious suite of offices, a café and shop which will promote and sell regional produce. The Yorkshire Agricultural Society is the first agricultural society in the UK to develop such an initiative.

Heather Parry, the Society’s Deputy Chief Executive said: “We are absolutely delighted to announce Houseman & Falshaw as our appointed contractor. Their tender showed a real commitment to create a top quality building which is architecturally innovative and environmentally cutting edge.”

Houseman and Falshaw managing director Stuart Falshaw said: “We have a long working relationship with the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and are extremely pleased to have been chosen for this fascinating and complex development which will include a variety of special features to make it sustainable and to minimise impact on the environment. It will be a state-of-the-art project for the organisation that leads the way in agriculture in Yorkshire.”

The design by P+HS Architects was developed to create a rural enterprise that will support the Yorkshire Agricultural Society in achieving its objectives and the agricultural community in the region. With funding from Yorkshire Forward, many sustainable elements have been incorporated in the building to ensure it has the minimum impact on the environment.

Site studies determined the overall shape and position of the building on the site, designed to avoid south sun and consequent overheating, but allowing the prevailing wind to be used to maximise natural ventilation opportunities and ensuring that natural light penetrates to all parts of the building.

The building will be constructed from a timber frame, rainwater will be harvested and a ground source heat pump will heat the building with solar thermal roof panels providing a percentage of the hot water. The farm shop and café will have a “green” sedum roof and a dry stone outer wall. Sheep’s wool will be used as insulation in the offices. Visual panels and information boards will be in place so that visitors can see the sustainable elements and understand how they work to encourage more people to use them.

Maximum flexibility has been incorporated into the designs allowing for the break out spaces to be further subdivided to create smaller spaces, whilst the office accommodation in the new building can be joined to create larger working environments as staff numbers grow.

The shop will promote locally sourced food as a priority, providing an extra outlet for local farmers and producers as well as additional choice of good quality local fare for consumers.

The café design will enable cookery demonstrations and food launches to be staged, further highlighting the important role played in food production by farmers – a key objective of the Society. All profits made will be ploughed back into supporting agriculture in the region.

Both the shop and the café will provide new opportunities for suppliers and thus help boost the local economy. It is anticipated that around 35 new jobs will be created by the Society which already contributes around £37m to the region each year.

Email: kate@frenchpr.co.uk