Project: Stanwick Lakes Visitor Centre
Client: Rockingham Forest Trust
Contract Value: £1,600,000
The practice won a competition for the design of a new Visitor Centre which provides a key focal point to the lakes and surrounding area. The client specifically wanted the building to have immediate visual impact and give a friendly and welcoming focal point for Stanwick Lakes.
The new Centre is located on an existing peninsula that juts out over one of the lakes. The main viewing point and observation deck cantilever over the water to bring people closer to this wetland environment.
The design and materials used in the construction draw from the key principles of environmental sustainability, with particular emphasis on carbon neutrality. This low energy building is heated using a ground source heat pump and extracts heat from the water in the lake, supported by solar panels and wind turbine.