Rural Log Cabins helped to design a purpose-built, eco-friendly home and advised on all the many technologies that are available now to help them reduce their carbon footprint to zero. The log cabin is made of timber from sustainable wood sources and will run entirely on renewable energy with no connection to national grid electricity. Power is generated by photovoltaic panels on the roof of the visitor centre and stored in batteries with any shortcomings topped up by a back-up generator, although this is likely to be very seldom.

Solar thermal panels on the roof of the cabin will supply ample hot water in the summer and almost all in winter months, whilst winter heating, cooking and some hot water is being provided through a wood-burning stove using the wood they grow on their smallholding. Rainwater is also harvested and all waste goes into an on-site biogester.

The combination of all these environmental features provide a zero carbon rating on the SAP scale, the Government’s Standard Assessment Procedure for the Energy Rating of Dwellings. The calculation has been made, even assuming the worst air leakage results, giving an environmental impact estimated at the lowest level for CO2 emissions and energy consumption.

The couple will be moving into their log cabin in Autumn 2008. In the meantime, they loved their log cabin design so much that they have asked Rural to design and build the visitor centre they are planning for next year, using the funds raised from the sale of their previous home. The visitor centre will provide accommodation for school parties wishing to study the llamas and their country of origin as part of their national curriculum studies and the zero carbon rating will also provide ample subject matter for science curriculum activities.

Rural Log Cabins is one of the country’s leading suppliers of bespoke log cabins for a variety of uses, from residential properties and holiday homes to leisure facilities such as visitor centres, sports facilities and schoolrooms, each individually designed to suit the customer’s requirements. The Catanger Llamas visitor centre will reflect an important market for Rural in building sustainable solutions on sensitive rural sites and choosing materials, styles and technologies that will fit in with the environment.

“We specialize in designing with our clients the solution which is right for their location and purposes,” says Steve Missen, Managing Director of Rural Log Cabins Limited. “Catanger Llamas wanted both buildings to be as environmentally friendly as possible and we were able to offer them a zero carbon option. The result is an attractive building that fits in with the landscape and does not affect the surroundings adversely. It is entirely in keeping with the eco message of the farm and will be very educational for the young people visiting the site.” A webcam is in place recording the construction process as it progresses and the snapshot is updated every 25 seconds. We have compiled these into a series of time lapse films so that viewers can view the project from the very start.

Catangar Llamas is a llama trekking and educational facility in Northamptonshire. The centre provides a wide range of educational activities and will now be able to offer cross-curriculum learning for key stages 1 and 2 (Primary School children up to age 11) and eventually also Key Stage 3. The llamas come originally from South America and can be studied for both geography and history. Traditional skills in spinning, weaving and felting the llama fibre are demonstrated, providing education for design/technology and art with a genuine hands-on experience.

For Nature/Biology studies the llamas themselves are of course available to study, plus 20 acres of native woodland that was established since the Llama trekking began in the 1990’s. The trees, wild flowers pond life, birds and wild mammals all provide opportunities to study natural history.