Octagon Barn – Wedding & Events Venue

Project Snapshot

Client: Octagon Barn
Sector: Private Sector – Events & Commercial Property
Building Type: Grade II listed wedding and events venue with adjacent commercial offices
Project Scope: Heating solution for heritage venue and new-build offices
Funding Route: Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
Our Role: Design and installation of ground source heat pump system
Technologies Used: Ground source heat pump, thermal store, underfloor heating and fan units

The Decarbonisation Challenge

Octagon Barn is a Grade II listed, eight-sided barn located just outside Norwich. Originally built as a meeting chapel in the 1680s, the building has served many purposes over the centuries, including use as a grain store and cattle barn.

In 2008, owners Joe and Katie Wiley began an extensive refurbishment to transform the barn into a wedding and events venue. Alongside the historic barn, the site also includes newly built commercial office space.

Heating the barn presented a significant challenge. The single-skin walls, 5,000 sq ft open space and 50 ft vaulted ceiling made heat distribution difficult and expensive. A diesel space heater proved noisy, inefficient and unsuitable for a venue designed to host events year-round.

The brief was to move away from fossil fuels and deliver a sustainable heating solution that could maintain a steady, comfortable temperature for both the historic barn and the neighbouring commercial offices.

Key Delivery Considerations

From the outset, there were several critical factors we needed to account for:

– A Grade II listed building with strict limits on physical alteration
– Large open volumes and high ceilings requiring effective heat distribution
– The need for quiet operation during weddings and events
– Very different heating demands between the historic barn and modern office space
– A requirement for steady, continuous heating rather than intermittent use

Any solution needed to be sympathetic to the building, practical to operate and economical to run.

Our Role

We worked closely with the owners to assess the building, understand how the venue would be used, and explore the most practical low-carbon heating options.

After reviewing alternatives, including biomass, we designed a ground source heat pump solution that could deliver reliable, steady heat without the operational burden associated with fuel storage and handling.

The system was designed to serve both the historic barn and the adjacent A-rated commercial offices, with sufficient capacity to support future expansion.

The Solution

We specified and installed a Lämpöässä T120 ground source heat pump, supported by a 3,000-litre thermal store.

Around 6 km of ground loop was installed via 16 loops laid in the surrounding field, with pipework routed beneath the car park to connect back to the plant room.

Heat within the barn is delivered through four large Jaga AVS fan units, while underfloor heating serves the toilets, offices and adjacent commercial buildings.

The system heats two very different property types – a 17th-century barn and modern commercial offices — from a single, central heat source.

Delivery & Outcomes

The ground source heat pump now provides reliable, low-carbon heating across the entire site, ensuring the barn remains warm and welcoming throughout the year.

Key outcomes include:

– A steady, comfortable internal temperature suitable for weddings and events
– Significantly lower running costs compared to fossil fuel alternatives
– A payback period of under seven years through the Non-Domestic RHI
– A flexible system with capacity to support future office development

In recognition of the sensitive refurbishment, Octagon Barn was awarded Broadland District Council’s Enhancement Award in 2019.

The Client’s Voice

Joe Wiley, owner of Octagon Barn, said:

“This cost-effective and energy-efficient ground source heating system has allowed us to convert the once redundant Octagon Barn into a very successful venue for weddings, parties and conferences.

The heat pump has been working perfectly to ensure the venue is always warm and welcoming. The adjacent offices are very comfortable too, and our commercial tenants certainly enjoy the low heating bills.”

Plans for a further eight commercial offices are now in development, with the intention to connect these to the existing heat pump system, which has ample spare capacity.