Architects drawings for download (pdf)
	Architects plans
	Floor plans
	Scenario plans
	Site plan

The Barcombe New Village Hall has been designed by sustainability specialists Satellite Architects. The building will be fully sustainable offering maximum flexibility for the varied events that that currently take place in the village hall and offers versatility for future uses.

Much of the design has been influenced by the intermittent use of the building, typical of a village hall. In order to suit this need it was determined that two key requirements were rapid response for climate control and low maintenance. The intent is to create a super-insulated building with minimal heat demand. It needs to warm up quickly in the winter and be kept cool during the summer with good levels of natural ventilation.

A timber façade addresses the village which focuses on reducing noise and light pollution for its neighbours while the back of the building is glazed and opens up to the valley with a large function room. The large function room reflects the slope of the landscape in its green roof which also limits the run off for the roof creating less impact on its immediate environment.

Heating and cooling
The building operates as a core wall which holds all services and stack ventilation for natural cooling. Mechanical ventilation with a heat recovery system will provide fresh air and warmth during colder weather, and a ventilation ‘stack’ or chimney will drive the natural ventilation in the main space on warmer days. A photovoltaic (PV) array will provide electricity to support the heat recovery unit and electricity in the summer months along with a sell-back inverter so any additional electricity achieved when the building is not in use can be sold to the electricity supplier through a grid connection.

Hot water
A solar thermal collector will provide all the required hot water in the summer months and will be backed up with a small condensing boiler for the winter.

Lighting
During the winter months or on dull or overcast days, the electricity for the lighting would be obtained from the grid connection through a renewable energy supplier. The main strategy for lighting focuses on natural light. The building is designed to maximise the natural light levels so artificial lighting will not be required during the day and when used in the evening or in dark winter months the low energy lighting will take its power from the renewable energy grid connection.