Construction of the EPIC building began soon after the 2007 Lincolnshire Show and work has proceeded apace both on schedule and on budget.

The steel backbone of the building could be clearly seen by the end of September and, as this view from the north side indicates, the roof and floor to the first floor were also in place well ahead of schedule.

 

 

Perhaps the most spectacular phase of the construction began with the arrival of the frames for the main exhibition halls arrived in mid October. Each 22 metre beam weighed over 7.5 tonnes and required careful manoeuvring into their final positions. Each beam is made from timber harvested from sustainably managed forests. This picture, taken from the south west side of the building, shows the first beam being swung into position.

The full outline of the EPIC building became clear by the middle of November when the last of the glulam timber arches was completed. All who have visited the site have commented that whilst the building seems to sit unobtrusively within the flat open landscape of the showground its size feels impressive when the visitor is close up. Those visitors brave enough to climb the ladders to the first floor were rewarded with some unique perspectives of the Show ground especially the main ring!

One group who were clearly impressed were students from The University of Lincoln’s degree course in Exhibition Design seen here with Chris Carr from R G Carter and Nick Cheffins. The students were visiting as part of a design project to develop concepts for an exhibition showing potential responses to global warming that could be placed in the middle hall of the EPIC building. Construction industry NVQ trainees from Lincoln and Grantham colleges are also regular visitors following the story of the construction and will be visiting on a monthly basis until work is completed.

Roofing to the main exhibition hall began in mid December whilst flooring has begun in the kitchens, plant rooms and other service areas. Over 3,500 rafters will be laid to provide the support for the water proofed roof sheets over which the sedum will be laid in February. Most of the interior block work has been completed and the first of the timber glazing units for the northern aspects of the meetings rooms and offices have been installed.

Interest in Epic is now spreading across the East Midlands. Presentations about the project have been made at a variety of events. These included the East Midlands Sustainability Expo where the yellow souvenir hats were a great hit with visiting school children! EPIC is competing strongly to host this event in 2008.