Chiltern Hills Gateway Visitor Centre by Architype

The project by British firm, Architype for the Chiltern Hills Gateway Centre, looking over the landscape of Dunstable Downs. A sustainable facility that allows visitors to experience the natural landscape without adversely affecting it.



Located in an area of outstanding natural beauty, on a site of special scientific interest, the Chiltern Hills Gateway offers a rich mix of leisure activities combined with other infrastructure. All without disturbing the extremely valuable environmental context, catering for over 400,000 people who visit each year .



The building features an elegant wing-shaped roof that seems to hover on the hillside. This form allows it to withstand extremely heavy wind loads and also to reflect two of the main leisure activities of the area – kite and glider flying.





The building’s orientation provides a sheltered area on one side, and a public viewing deck with a glazed front framing the views on the other side, where the leisure activities take place.



Environmental awareness is at the heart of Architype's approach so at Chiltern Hills they have designed sustainable solutions such as woodchip heating, rainwater recycling and gabion walls filled with rock extracted from the site.





They designed a visually striking, weathered steel “Windcatcher” landmark, which help’s ventilate the building by drawing air into an earth tube. The air temperature is modulated seasonally due to the latent temperature of the earth.

Project: Architype, http://www.architype.co.uk/
Client: The National Trust and Bedfordshire County Council
Year: 2006
Photos:
Links: Sydenham Garden Center, http://www.floornature.com/blog/architype’s-sydenham-garden-centre-a-sustainable-project-awarded-the-2011-best-mental-health-design-award--7468/, St Luke's Elementary School http://www.floornature.com/blog/st-lukeand39s-elementary-school-by-architype-is-the-first-breeam-excellent-primary-school-in-britain-7629/, Blakenhall Healthy Living Centre http://www.floornature.com/blog/blakenhall-healthy-living-centre-when-community-means-sustainability-7805/