Slimbridge Wetlands Conservation Centre
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View of timber bridge and entrance
Peter Cook/VIEW (website) Download Original
Collection of new visitor facilities at the Slimbridge headquarters of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Gloucestershire
The Wetland Centre at Slimbridge, founded in 1946 by Sir Peter Scott, has been developed by ECD Architects into a venue equipped to to deal with 300,000 visitors per year.
Part of the architects' brief was to integrate the existing buildings into the new scheme which includes entrance/exhibition spaces, offices, restaurant, shop and a 16m high observation tower with views across the Severn estuary. In addition there were extensive landscaping works including water bodies and reed beds.
The overall horizontality of the building is emphasised through the use of gentle ramps and layers of brick and timber cladding which also reflects the structural hierarchy - a concrete-framed base supporting a steel structure with timber cladding.
TThe project features renewable materials, a reed bed waste system, grey water recycling and has high insulation standards.
Data
- Completed: 2000
- Sectors: Education, Sports and leisure
- Total cost: £3.8M
- Funding: Millenium Lottery funding
- Address: Wetlands Conservation Centre, Bowditch, Slimbridge, GL2 7BT, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: ECD Architects
- Project architects: David Billingham, David Turrent, Kenan Kilco
- Client: Wildfowl and Wetlands trust
- Energy Consultant: ECD Energy and Environment
- Landscape architect: SGS Environment
- Structural engineer: Whitby Bird and Partners
- Quantity surveyor: James Nisbet and Partners
- Project manager: Davis Langdon & Everest
- Main contractor: Leadbitter Construction
- Reed bed designer: Professor Chris Baines
- Catering consultant: Diana Crighton
Suppliers
- Insulated render: CCS Scotseal
- Curtain walling: Fleetwood UK