This £500K visitors centre for the RSPB at Rye Meads Nature Reserve just outside London has been designed as a double aspect building to provide a walk through gateway to the reserve, and houses facilities for visitors and staff, as well as classrooms and workshops. The reserve provides habitats of international importance for wading birds, and the centre is considered a major education resource for local schools and colleges.
The building needed to be low impact and respectful of the environment in which it is sited. This synergy was achieved by the use of external plywood cladding coupled with a single membrane lightweight roof form. The wide eaves overhang provides shelter from the elements. The centre is designed to be low maintenance energy efficient. All rainwater is channelled from the roof into an underground holding tank, which is used for waste disposal and immediate irrigation requirements.
The building needed to be low impact and respectful of the environment in which it is sited. This synergy was achieved by the use of external plywood cladding coupled with a single membrane lightweight roof form. The wide eaves overhang provides shelter from the elements. The centre is designed to be low maintenance energy efficient. All rainwater is channelled from the roof into an underground holding tank, which is used for waste disposal and immediate irrigation requirements.