Thermafleece Used to Royal Effect
New Learning Centre and Library at RHS Harlow Carr
Thermafleece sheep’s wool insulation, produced by Second Nature UK Ltd, has been used as part of a groundbreaking £2.1million project in Harrogate for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
The RHS wanted to build a new Learning Centre and Library at its Harlow Carr Garden site and, in keeping with its ongoing commitment to promoting sustainable solutions, was keen to ensure the new building would be entirely carbon neutral. It was a brief that ecological architectural design specialist, Eco Arc, relished.
Andrew Yeats of Eco Arc, commented: “The RHS wanted the new Learning Centre to be one of the greenest buildings in the UK and achieve a BREEAM rating of excellent. In order to achieve this is was imperative that products specified for the build were sustainable, energy saving, in keeping with the building’s rural setting and of course of the highest technical quality. When it came to insulation, Thermafleece was a perfect choice.”
With a thermal conductivity or K value of 0.038 W/mK, Thermafleece is the only British sheep’s wool insulation to be BBA certified (02/3950) and was installed across the walls, floors and roof of the new goods depot built on site and throughout the timber wall elements of the Learning Centre. As well as offering clear ecological benefits, the superior density of the insulation and resilience of the wool fibres means Thermafleece doesn’t lose its shape or thickness over time, thus ensuring that thermal performance in the buildings insulated will not be compromised in years to come.
In addition to Thermafleece, other innovative features of the build include a ground source heat pump, triple glazing, sedum roof, water harvesting solar panels, wind turbine, sun pipes and sustainable timber.
Andrew Yeats continued: “The Learning Centre is designed to draw in heat via the timber frame and glazed front elevation and retain this heat through the thermal mass back wall which has been built into the sloping landscape. In essence, it is a building designed to maximise natural energy resources. The insulation used, in this case Thermafleece, plays a crucial role in ensuring this process is efficient and works to its full potential.”
The Learning Centre is due to be completed this Spring and will provide unique learning facilities to over 10,000 school children, families and adults each year, teaching them the key skills required for sustainable gardening.
For more information on Thermafleece or on any other products from Second Nature, please visit www.secondnatureuk.com or call 017684 86285.
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