Environmental

Hautbois is now working with Natural England to encourage children to discover the outdooors, in the project 'One Million Children Outdoors'. Schools can visit Hautbois and take part in lots of on-site and off-site activities from environmental stuides to milking cows to canoeing on the River Bure. Hautbois is the perfect venue to explore our natural environment, with a 28 acre estate bursting with wildlife and situated next to the River Bure whilst offering 16 on-site activities, indoor accommodation, 5 campsites, catering facilities and experienced staff to deal with your requirements.

Click here to download the postcard below to send to Hautbois today and you will receive more information on bringing your school to Hautbois to discover the outdoors or contact us using our online form today.

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Environmental Developments @ Hautbois 

In 2007 the purpose-built, environmentally friendly training/dining room was opened at Hautbois, scroll down the page to learn about all the environmentally friendly measures undertaken in this exciting development at Hautbois - it even has a green roof! The open airy space is fully-equipped for training and presentations, with up-to-date IT equipment and built-in AV equipment.

Beco Blocks

Insulation Concrete Formwork used to build the Hautbois extension, this a building system that provides a formwork which is then left in place permanently as thermal insulation. This formwork system is then filled with concrete to create a structure ready to accept the roof or floor construction.

For a sustainable environment:
1. Superior thermal performance.
2. The high thermal mass of the concrete absorbs and stores heat or coolness, resulting in energy savings.
3. There is minimal waste during construction and at the end of the building's useful life the materials can be recycled.
4. The use of ready-mixed concrete from a local supplier means fewer deliveries and therefore less traffic on the roads.

Rainwater Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting solutions collect water where it falls (rather than forcing it to drain away where it can add to flooding problems).  At Hautbois rainwater is collected from the roof of the new building, the adjoining patio and the roof slope of the old building which faces the new extension.  After passing through a filter, it is stored in a tank situated under the new patio area ready for use - to flush the toilets in our new development!  By doing this Hautbois has reduced its demand for treated mains water.

Ground - Source Heat Pump

A ground-source heat pump supplies heating and hot water in the new facilities and kitchen, provided with a grant from the DTI under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. The underfloor heating which has been installed uses floating condensation which means it always operates in the most energy-efficient way and never produces hotter water than the heating system needs to maintain the desired indoor temperature.  

December 2007 saw the ground source heat system and rainwater harvesting tank installed and just before Christmas the Sedum roof was planted.

Sedum Living Roof

A Green Roof is a planted area on flat or sloped roofs. Virtually every new building takes a piece of the natural green landscape, by planting a roof garden a large part of the lost green area is recouped and living conditions are enhanced by the provision of a green roof area close at hand.

A roof garden is cooler in the summer - roof planting reflects and absorbs solar radiation and acts as a heat sink flattening the thermal gradient cross the roof profile reducing the Albedo effect (Albedo is a measure of how much light a surface reflects) and contributes to saving heating energy in the winter. The roof at Hautbois is planted with a variety of sedum plants.

* Some pictures and content courtesy of Purcell Miller Tritton.