Eco Barn – A Natural Environment for Learning

The eagerly awaited environmentally-friendly Eco Barn at King Edward Humanities College was opened by Councillor and Mrs Robert Palmer, Vice-Chairman of Lincolnshire County Council.

The opening sees the completion of a vision by staff and students to create a world-class facility which embodied the latest environmental technology in a building which in itself would become a teaching resource.  Quite simply; a building which became a natural environment for learning; both within and beyond the classroom.

The purpose of the building was primarily for the delivery of a Land-Based and Environmental Diploma in conjunction with Riseholme College, but it was to set a standard in sustainable building for the future which would be used to educate both students at the college and members of the local community. Staff were successful in securing half a million pounds of funding from the Department for Education and Spilsby Grammar School Trust contributed to the final capital costs.

Margaret Reeve, Headteacher of the College, said, “The Ecobarn is a first class facility for students of the college, primary school pupils and members of the local community. The availability of this resource for local group use puts the college firmly at the heart of the Spilsby community. We are very grateful to our supporters for their faith in the project and their professional expertise and guidance in what has been a challenging, yet innovative development.
Despite many challenges – accessing materials, using new and unusual products and the weather, to name but a few,  we have been able to remain faithful to the original brief and are indebted to the contractors and builders for their persistence and patience in ensuring the vision we originally had for the Eco Barn became a reality”.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Spilsby, Councillor Michael Lenton and his wife Anne, meet members of the Year 10 Hospitality and Catering Group – William Turner, Chantelle Harrison, Tabitha Bloomfield and Cejay Benson

Innovative Features

The building incorporates a whole host of innovative features, including a living roof, insulation made out of recycled materials and sheeps wool, compacted earth wall and hempcrete – a mixture of hemp and lime as a building material.  The building also marks the school’s move towards eco-sustainability with the first solar panels – shortly to be followed by additional solar panels on the Humanities block, that had just received planning permission.

More photos will be made available of the opening in our gallery!