Project Manager: Turner & Townsend
Architectural Services: White Design Associates
Structural Engineers: Halcrow
Services Engineers: Halcrow

Dalby Forest is the largest forest in Yorkshire receiving 300,000 visitors per year, making it a key visitor attraction in the region. The Dalby Forest Visitor Centre project offered an exciting opportunity for the design team to deliver a contemporary, innovative and beautiful building set in a magnificent wooded valley with spectacular views of the surrounding forest and river.

Sustainability was a focus not only in terms of whole life costs but also on the building’s impact during construction and operation, through to the end of its life. By using timber construction and ‘touching the ground lightly’, a truly sustainable development has been created.

The building is designed to be recycled at the end of its life, leaving behind a negligible footprint. The Visitor Centre is designed to maximise natural ventilation and lighting to make it as energy efficient as possible. Renewable technologies such as the wind turbine, photovoltaics, rainwater harvesting and on site waste treatment have been incorporated to help reduce the impact the building has on local resources, whilst educating visitors.

The success of the project is demonstrated by the Forestry Commission’s commitment to use Dalby Forest as a model for the nationwide redevelopment of its visitor centres.

Awards

We are proud to announce that this building has now won the 2007 RICS Pro Yorkshire award for sustainability and the Prime Ministers Better Public Building Award 2007.

It was also shortlisted for the following awards:

• White Rose award 2007
• BCI Award 2008 - shortlisted for projects under 5 million winner to be announced 2008
• 2007 National RICS Pro Yorkshire award for sustainability
• Structural Awards 2007 - David Alsop Sustainability category