LHC Design have been supporting Forestry England to create a new ‘gateway to the forest’ comprising purpose-built visitor centre and operational support buildings.
Alongside project partners Willmott Dixon, we have been responsible for helping the client develop and deliver on a Carbon Reduction Plan for the project with the scheme embracing the Net Zero Operational and Embodied Carbon targets provided by the RIBA, LETI, UKGBC Advancing Net Zero Framework to ensure the project is an exemplar in its field.
The design of the buildings aims not to detract from its setting but instead sit alongside it creating a sensitive architectural response that speaks of its time and place celebrating everything ‘Haldon’ with natural low carbon materials and craftsmanship used.
The scheme has been submitted for planning and we are excited to continue developing the project once it achieves planning consent. The intention is for construction to start in 2023.
Key Facts and Highlights
- A Whole Life Carbon Assessment for both embodied and operational carbon has been carried out in order to reduce the overall carbon impact of the project.
- Trees from Haldon Forest will be felled, sent to local timber sawmills and manufactured into structural frames before being returned to site to construct the new building. All taking place locally here in the South West, helping to reduce the overall Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions of the project.
- The buildings will be designed to have a fabric first approach, including improved air tightness, to reduce the required heat demand.
- Detailed modelling has been carried out to establish the buildings use requirements and use a very low Energy Use Intensity target to drive down the operational energy demand of the buildings.
- Green renewable technologies are incorporated within the design to reduce the requirement for imported grid energy.
- The buildings are intended to be carbon neutral in operation, supporting Forestry England’s ambition to be carbon net zero by 2033.
- As part of the delivery of the project Energy Synergy (Post Occupancy Evaluation) will be incorporated into the building to monitor energy usage and allow improvement in efficiencies through the building’s life cycle, and verifies net zero carbon in use.