Project:                       Bedfords Park Visitor Centre
Client:                         Essex Wildlife Trust
Contract Value:         £498,000

Bedfords Park lies on a prominent hilltop site with spectacular views over the City of London. Set in magnificent 18C parkland, the new centre offers a welcoming experience for visitors. Part new build and part conversion, the centre provides an observation room, shop, classroom, offices and toilets.

The visitor hall has an open-vaulted timber roof with cantilevered gable ends, giving prominence to the Centre and providing contrast with the low-pitched roof of the original pavilion. Exposed glulam rafters and structural softwood decking support the main roof, which is clad in natural slate.

The observation room, converted from a redundant café, was originally supported on external timber columns that had become badly weathered and vandalised. These columns were removed with the roof supported on steel wires hung from a central steel mast. The roof is clad in a blanket of sedum plants to assist summer cooling and provide additional warmth in winter.

Awards:      RIBA EAST - HERITAGE AWARD New Build   2003
                      RIBA EAST - ARCHITECTURE FOR TOURISM AWARD - Runner Up 2003