Learning Centre in Greenwich Park London, Royal Parks Architecture, Building Images
Learning Centre in Greenwich Park
The Royal Parks Building Development in Southeast London design by Architype Architects, UK
31 July 2019
Learning Centre in Greenwich Park, London
Architects: Architype
Location: Greenwich Park, London, England, UK
The Royal Parks reveals new designs for eco-friendly Learning Centre in Greenwich Park
Thursday, 1st August, 2019 – The Royal Parks has revealed the first designs for a new Learning Centre to be built in Greenwich Park, which includes the generation of new green park space for public use.
images courtesy of Architype architects
The plans are part of ‘Greenwich Park Revealed’, an exciting multi-million-pound project to conserve and enhance Greenwich Park’s historic and natural heritage, putting the community at its very heart.
Architects practice, Architype, won an open competition to produce the designs.
The proposed new Learning Centre will be built close to Vanbrugh Gate, in what is presently an underused contractors’ yard which is not open to the public.
As a community hub, the Learning Centre will provide indoor and outdoor learning spaces, creating opportunities for training, volunteering, social activities and commercial events. It will provide indoor and outdoor growing areas, public toilets – including a ‘Changing Places’ fully-accessible toilet, a drinking fountain, meeting place and an information point for visitors. The building will provide views of the Old Wilderness Deer Park.
The project will also convert the existing residential lodge at Vanbrugh Gate into a new public café, along with a kitchen garden maintained by volunteers.
Sustainability is integral to the project, with designs ensuring reduced carbon emissions both in the construction and day-to-day running of the centre.
Features include energy-efficient insulation and solar and thermal panels to generate heating on site. The design will incorporate rainwater collection and efficient water use. And environmentally-friendly natural materials will be used and sourced locally where possible – such as insulation potentially made of recycled newspaper, strawbale, hemp and sheep’s wool.
Graham Dear, Manager of Greenwich Park, said: “This is a unique opportunity to generate new green space in iconic Greenwich Park for the community to enjoy, by transforming an underused contractors’ yard which is currently not open to visitors.
“The community is very much at the heart of this project and we hope this hub will benefit locals in a myriad of ways through training, volunteering, learning and for social events.
“These exciting eco-friendly designs incorporate garden areas for growing, a living roof and bird and bat boxes, supporting biodiversity in the park and engaging visitors with wildlife by providing great views of the nearby Deer Park.”
James Todd, Associate Director, Architype, said: “’The design for the learning centre has been developed in close consultation with the park and its stakeholders and will create a new focus at Vanbrugh Gate, welcoming the community and opening up currently hidden views, connections and learning opportunities to the public.
“We’re celebrating the link to nature through every aspect of the building, including the use of natural and locally-sourced materials.
“The aim is to create a truly ecological building that serves the park for the future and acts as a learning tool: minimising both the operational and embodied carbon impacts from materials and construction, limiting the use of plastics, creating new habitats for wildlife and embracing a series of new growing spaces and gardens around the building.”
Learn in Greenwich Park
Background
The Royal Parks charity has initial support from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and BIG Lottery Fund for a £4.8million grant, as part of the multi-million-pound project. The Royal Parks, and other funders, will also contribute to the project. The project is supported by The Friends of Greenwich Park.
“Greenwich Park Revealed” has been awarded an initial development funding by the National Lottery to develop the project proposals more fully by incorporating the views of park users on the park’s future.
The Learning Centre and other aspects of the project are subject to funding.
The final bid will be submitted at the end of August 2019.
The re-organisation of the Nursery Yard will allow for improvements to the contractors’ facilities, the removal of redundant buildings and an increase in the size of the Deer Park.
A similar Learning Centre in Hyde park was designed for The Royal Parks by David Morley Architects in 2012. The eco-friendly building hosts thousands of children and adults each year though the Centre’s School and Community Learning Programme.
About The Royal Parks
The Royal Parks is the charity that exists to make sure London’s eight historic royal parks will always be there to enrich the lives of local residents and visitors to London.
The charity looks after eight of London’s largest open spaces: Hyde Park, The Green Park, Richmond Park, Greenwich Park, St James’s Park, Bushy Park, The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, and Kensington Gardens. It also manages other important open spaces in the capital including Brompton Cemetery, Victoria Tower Gardens, and the gardens of 10, 11 and 12 Downing Street.
Follow The Royal Parks on Twitter @theroyalparks, Facebook.com/TheRoyalParksLondon and Instagram.com/TheRoyalParks
About Architype
Architype is a recognised leader in the development of sustainable architecture in the UK and a 3-time winner of the AJ100 Sustainable Practice of the Year including 2019. Founded in 1984, Architype is well known for award-winning community designs and pioneering developments.
The practice operates from London, Hereford and Edinburgh. www.architype.co.uk
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