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visual of countryside centre

AONB Countryside Centre

Sustainable Rural Visitor Centre in Wiltshire.
Location Fifield Bavant, Wiltshire
Status Concept
Use Public
Client Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB

An exciting opportunity to design an exemplar development, showcasing green principles, design and materials. The brief required a user friendly, accessible building with low running costs, promoting good practice and ‘dark skies’ design. The final concept for the rural visitors centre incorporates a cafe, training and seminar office, set around a central courtyard, pond/ swale, vegetable and herb gardens. A sedum roof canopy forms a covered working space.

A clear environmental strategy for the design includes:

  • Sustainability provisions
  • Super insulated building envelope
  • Natural cross ventilation – Summer cooling
  • Landscape pond provides climate control to courtyard and rainwater collection for plants
  • Solar thermal and PV panels and woodchip boiler provide energy efficient electricity and heating
  • Green roof for rainwater attenuation and biodiversity
  • Barn Owl and Bat boxes
sketch of countryside centre
sketch of entrance to countryside centre in wiltshire
community centre sketch
visual of countryside centre in wiltshire