• The structural posts on the front of the building are solid larch.
• The workshops and boiler room are five joined together untreated oak-clad shipping containers, with tree trunks used for the external column.
• Reclaimed bricks are used in the outside walls.
• The building’s roof is made from recycled aluminium.
• Natural ventilation to all spaces. The ‘Windcatcher’ ventilation system enables cool air to be drawn through the building passively in the summer, avoiding the need for mechanical ventilation. Using compartmentalized vertical vents, fresh air is brought into the room and stale warm air is expelled using the natural effects of the wind.
• A heavyweight spine wall acts as a divider for the internal spaces, and as a large thermal mass to retain heat in winter and reduce cooling needs in summer. The wall is made from Sumatec blocks, which are compressed earth bricks and, unlike traditional bricks, do not need to be fired, thereby reducing C02. The thermal wall is covered with lime.
• Hemp mixed with recycled cotton is used on internal walls, improving the building’s insulation.

• The centre uses a wood chip boiler for heating, with coppiced wood fuel sourced locally. Water is heated by solar panels.
• All lights are low energy, and movement sensors switch lights on and off.
• A grey water recycling system collects rainwater from the roof and directs it into an outside tank. It is then filtered and pumped back into an indoor storage tank and used for flushing toilets and plant irrigation. Overflow from the storage tank is used to top up the pond.
• The SUD (Sustainable Urban Drainage) system deals with surface water naturally by absorbing it into the water course, not the sewers.
• All soil which was excavated from the site during building has been retained and formed into mounds to create new habitats and areas for childrens’ play.
• Topsoil from the neighbouring housing development has been used to create a natural amphitheatre, and Kentish rag stone from the site has been used to create the seating in the amphitheatre.
• All plants are native English species and are managed by the staff and volunteer teams.

Architype worked with an exhibition designer and landscape architect, to produce a comprehensive ‘Interpretation Masterplan’, which investigated all the environmental issues relevant to the site, from local woodland conservation, to global issues of energy use, and proposed ways of creatively interpreting these issues in and around the building. Core messages were identified, around which specific display methods, activities, and building features were developed.

A new woodland management plan was formed, to enable volunteers to undertake specific practices such as tree planting and coppicing, wildflower meadow management, and informal path work. The volunteers’ work would be highlighted throughout the building, encouraging new members.

Landscape interpretation proposals included new earth-berms and ha-has, to help define activities and key areas, and direct people to the centre in an informal way. Artistic interventions en route to the centre, using landforms and rocks, create a deeper sense of the landscape and create new places to sit.

Ecological and nature based proposals included mown paths amongst tall grasses for insect spotting and collection; dipping ponds for educational visits, where children can collect specimens and then study them back inside the building; and bird and reptile hides for observation.

Inside the centre, the objective was for the building to be an educational resource in itself, demonstrating its environmental features for visitors to see and understand. Proposals included a sustainable materials display for visitors to touch; a rainwater harvesting pool, with graphic interpretation of how it works; and artists’ installations within the building which respond to light and air flow patterns.