CPRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE AWARDS
2014
PROJECT: THE WESTONBIRT PROJECT
AWARD: Forestry Commission Sophie Nash
CITATION:
For undertaking the restoration of an important historic landscape and constructing a finely judged Welcome building for visitors to Westonbirt National Arboretum
Cilia ~I= Gloucestershire m c.mo..,., •• - .... l_ COUNTY CHAIRMAN
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Westonbirt Welcome Building
STRUCTURAL DESIGNER Westonbirt is home to the National Arboretum in Tetbury, BuroHappold Engineering Gloucestershire. The new Welcome Building is located in a natural dip and placed on a semi-circular grid to integrate it into the landscape, CLIENT NAME providing a point of entry to the Arboretum, and a number of Forestry Commission essential visitor facilities. The building frame is constructed from environmentally-friendly, UK-sourced, Green Douglas Fir timber. Its LOCATION gently curving structure gives the traditional pitched roof form a Gloucestershire,United Kingdom modern twist, while the Western Red Cedar used for the external ARCHITECT cladding lends the building an attractive appearance and continues Glenn Howells Architects the theme of timber construction. BUILDING SERVICES ENGINEERS E3 Consulting Engineers judge's comment: QS/COST CONSULTANT This beautifully designed building welcomes visitors to the National PMP Consultants Arboretum at Tetbury.Appropriately, the building is made almost MAIN CONTRACTOR entirely of wood, with timber frames of UK-grown Douglas Fir. SpelierMetcalfe There are no eaves ties, giving an elegant clear height space up to the ridge. The sarklng boarding acts as a diaphragm to transfer lateral loads to the end walls and to Intermediate frames. The judges thought this was an excellent example of the integration of structure and architecture.
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England’s attractions celebrated with VisitEngland’s Accolades
17 February 2015: A number of attractions in England have received VisitEngland accolades in recognition of their quality visitor experience on offer. The accolades, introduced by VisitEngland for the first time in October 2014, recognise outstanding attractions going the extra mile to create an enjoyable and memorable experience for visitors.
The accolades are available to attractions that are part of the Visitor Attractions Quality Scheme and are allocated through a scoring system based on an annual assessment by VisitEngland. They include the Welcome accolade, Hidden Gem, Best Told Story, Quality Café and the Gold accolade for top-scoring attractions. A total of 57 attractions from across the country received accolades during the second round.
James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland said: “Our attractions are some of our great assets, creating appeal for visitors at home and from abroad. These accolades recognise the wonderful and innovative ways attractions in England are going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure people enjoy their visit, from a friendly and warm welcome, to high-quality food and drink on offer, or capturing the imagination with creative experiences. Our latest round of accolades continues to reflect the wide variety of attractions on offer in England and provide more reasons for Brits to take a day trip or short break this half term.”
Minister for Tourism, Helen Grant MP said: “England has a huge number of world-class attractions to be enjoyed as part of a day trip, short weekend break or longer family holiday. This is a great way to showcase attractions going the extra mile to deliver a high-quality and unique visitor experience. Many congratulations to all those receiving the latest accolades.”
Members of VisitEngland’s Quality Attractions scheme represent a wide range of tourism experiences across England, from museums and galleries, farm attractions, historic houses and gardens to churches, cathedrals and country parks. They are supported by a network of highly trained assessors who advise on improving and promoting the quality, accessibility and sustainability of their offer.
ENDS
Angelah Sparg, Head of Corporate Communications Tel: 02075781482, Email [email protected] or Sarah Rabbitts, Corporate Communications Manager Tel: 020 7578 1452, Email [email protected] www.visitengland.org
Appendix O - Awards and Case Studies Old Holly Farm Lancashire Quality Café
Oliver Cromwell's House Cambridgeshire Hidden Gem
Oriental Museum County Durham Welcome
Pines Garden Museum & Tea Room Kent Hidden Gem
RNLI Henry Blogg Museum Norfolk Best Told Story
Roald Dahl Museum & Story Centre Buckinghamshire Best Told Story
Robinson's Brewery Visitor Centre Greater Manchester Gold
Rochdale Pioneers Museum Lancashire Hidden Gem
Royal Engineers Museum Kent Welcome
RSPB Blacktoft Sands Nature Reserve Welcome East Riding of Yorkshire
RSPB Lakenheath Fen Welcome Norfolk / Suffolk borders RSPB The Lodge Bedfordshire Welcome
Sandcastle Waterpark Lancashire Gold
Sheldonian Theatre Oxfordshire Hidden Gem
ss Great Britain Somerset Best Told Story
Tate Liverpool Merseyside Gold
The Beacon Museum Cumbria Welcome
The Heights of Abraham Derbyshire Gold
The Rum Story Cumbria Hidden Gem
Theatre on Foot Merseyside Best Told Story
Upnor Castle Kent Welcome
Wadworth Brewery Visitor Centre Wiltshire Welcome
Walby Farm Park Cumbria Welcome
Wembley Stadium Tours London Best Told Story
West Dean Gardens West Sussex Quality Café
Westonbirt Arboretum Gloucestershire Gold
About VisitEngland
VisitEngland is the country’s national tourist board. We work in partnership with the industry to develop the visitor experience across England, plan national tourism strategy, grow the value of tourism in England and provide advocacy for the industry and our visitors. Our work is underpinned by robust research and customer insights. You can access the latest in-depth market intelligence and statistics on www.visitengland.org/insight-statistics. England is a unique destination and a real powerhouse in global tourism. It represents 84 per cent of the total UK visitor economy, is worth £106 billion, and supports 2.6 million jobs.
Appendix O - Awards and Case Studies
VisitEngland’s Accolades recognise quality experiences at England’s Attractions
23 February 2016: A host of attractions across England have received VisitEngland Accolades in recognition of the quality visitor experiences on offer. There are 61 accolades in this round, which sit alongside 17 from the first round announced in August last year. Highlighting those elements that matter most to visitors, including the warm welcome on arrival, the presentation of the collections, the story-telling and the quality of the tea and cake the accolades recognise those attractions going the extra mile to create an enjoyable and memorable visitor experience.
Introduced by VisitEngland in 2014, the accolades are available to attractions that are part of the Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme and are allocated through a scoring system based on an annual unannounced assessment by VisitEngland. They include the Welcome accolade, Hidden Gem, Best Told Story, Quality Food & Drink and the Gold accolade for all-round top-scoring attractions.
Sally Balcombe Chief Executive of VisitEngland said: “These attractions have received an accolade either for their warm welcome, unique storytelling or high-quality food and drink; ensuring an all-round quality experience for visitors. The accolades reflect the wide variety of world-class attractions on offer in England and provide the perfect reason to book a visit.”
Members of VisitEngland’s Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme represent a wide range of tourism experiences across England, from museums and galleries, farm attractions, historic houses and gardens to churches, cathedrals and country parks. They are supported by a network of highly trained assessors who advise on improving and promoting the quality, accessibility and sustainability of their offer.
ENDS
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Appendix O - Awards and Case Studies
Full list of attractions receiving Accolades in this round:
Attraction 2015 accolade BBC Tours Bristol Best Told Story BBC Tours Newcastle Best Told Story Bodleian Library Best Told Story Canterbury Historic River Tours Best Told Story Framework Knitters' Museum Best Told Story Jersey Museum and Art Gallery Best Told Story Maritime Museum and Occupation Tapestry Gallery Best Told Story Museum of the Jewellery Quarter Best Told Story National Glass Centre Best Told Story RNLI Henry Blogg Museum Best Told Story Shepherd Neame Visitor Centre Best Told Story Valence House Best Told Story Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum & Tour Best Told Story Beaulieu Gold Blists Hill Victorian Town Gold Captain Cook Memorial Museum Gold Chelsea Football Club Stadium Tour & Museum Gold Chester Zoo Gold Corinium Museum Gold HM Tower of London Gold Paultons Park Gold River & Rowing Museum Gold Sandcastle Waterpark Gold Tate Liverpool Gold The Crystal Gold The Heights of Abraham Gold Trebah Garden Gold Trentham Gardens Gold Westonbirt Arboretum Gold World Museum Gold York Art Gallery Gold Yorkshire Wildlife Park Gold Bushey Museum & Art Gallery Hidden Gem Canterbury Punting Company Hidden Gem Charleston Hidden Gem Dr Jenner's House and Garden Hidden Gem Filey Bird Garden and Animal Park Hidden Gem Killhope, The North of England Lead Mining Museum Hidden Gem
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Appendix O - Awards and Case Studies BREEAM 2008 BESPOKE ASSESSMENT CASE STUDY
Description of the Project and Welcome Building
A new environmentally-friendly visitor Welcome Building including the Christopher Mitchell Information Centre, at the National Arboretum in Gloucestershire. The new Welcome Building showcases sustainability in its timber construction and creates an exciting ‘launch- pad’ to help visitors make the most of their time here.
Summary
The primary aims of the project were:
• To conserve the grade 1 registered historical landscape of Westonbirt, the National Arboretum to enable us to be good custodians of our landscape heritage and natural environment. • To enable our visitors to increase their awareness and appreciation of Westonbirt’s tree collection and landscape heritage by improving their arrival and welcome. • To increase the number and range of people who take an active part in the arboretum’s heritage and its maintenance.
Appendix O - Awards and Case Studies
We achieved this by:
• Restoring the central area of historic downland by removing car parking, reinstating ecologically valuable grassland and restoring historic boundary structures. • Constructing a new Welcome Building to house information, interpretation and immediate visitor needs at the point of arrival. • Improving orientation signage for all visitors from the moment they arrive and throughout their visit. • Implementing a 5-year activity plan to allow new and under-represented individuals and groups to participate in our work.
The Welcome Building has the dual function of interpreting the site to visitors and welcoming them effectively. It is discreetly located in a natural landscape hollow, but retains presence through its pitched roof. It thereby provides a clear landmark to direct arriving visitors in the right direction once they leave their cars.
The design principles behind the style of the Welcome Building were very thoroughly discussed by the expert team behind the planning of the Project. The result is a modest and unassuming building, tucked into a dip in the landscape. This choice was driven by the landscape heritage of Westonbirt, and the original picturesque design intentions of the Victorian creators of the Arboretum. There are no follies or architectural embellishments within the Arboretum landscape. Functional buildings were created where required in the local vernacular, but the exotic trees and the landscape they shaped were always designed to be the stars of the show. We worked hard in planning this project to be faithful to these original landscape intentions.
The Welcome Building houses a number of essential visitor facilities that are currently dispersed, often less than ideally located and sometimes hard to find. Visitors now have access to toilets, mobility scooters, up to date information and day tickets or Friends membership all in one place at the start of their visit. In addition to its functional elements, the Welcome Building contains an information room with a range of innovative and interactive media to provide visitors with the information they need to understand the history and management of the National Arboretum and the wider role of trees in our lives.
Restoration of the downland. The most significant improvement has been the removal of the old car park and the start of the process of its restoration to downland. This is one of the fundamental elements of the first phase of the Westonbirt Project. The English Heritage have been particularly supportive of this change as it represents a major step forward in conserving the historical landscape of which the central downs are an important part. The restoration process involves both civil engineering and an ecological phases and will, we hope, eventually create species-rich meadow grassland which will enhance the appearance and biodiversity of the arboretum.
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The Welcome Building has been awarded a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating with a score of 74.64%.
It has been designed using timber and low energy technologies to reduce the impact on the environment. The building itself employs a variety of low energy design features including heating by an air source heat pump, high natural light levels and natural ventilation. All timber used on the project is FSC or PEFC approved and the majority including the structural frame and cladding is sourced from the UK and fabricated in the UK. Both the use of certified timber and the environmental rating were important factors for us.
Key Building Information
• BREEAM Rating & Score – Excellent (74.64%) • CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) Gloucestershire Award
• Basic Building Cost - £2,278 /m² • Services Costs - £370.43 /m² • External Works - £17.60 /m²
• Total area of site – 2.4km² • Welcome Building Gross floor area – 368m² • Information Centre area – 87.6m² • Circulation – 95.2m² • WC – 67.5m² • Storage – 89.8m² • Office /Kitchen – 28m² • Plant Room – 6.4m² • 100% area of ground to be used by community • 25% area of building to be used by community
Building Performance Information
• Predicted energy consumption – 95kWh /m² • Predicted renewable energy generation – N/A • Predicted water use – 2.1m³/ person/ year
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The steps taken during the construction process to reduce environmental impacts
During the construction process the use of energy & water arising from construction activities was actively monitored against monthly targets. The final monitoring graphs for the project are included below:
Construction Phase Energy Targeting – C02 Emissions
Construction Phase Energy Targeting – Cumulative Target, C02 Emissions
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Construction Phase Energy Targeting – Water Consumption
To ensure materials were responsibly sourced the Speller Metcalfe, main contractor, site management, subcontractors and buying team were aware of their responsibility to source materials only with a BES6001 or ISO14001 Certificate.
The site was enrolled in the Considerate Constructors scheme, achieving beyond best practice performance with a score of 40/50. The site team took a number of steps to encourage the site team to reduce their environmental impact, by initiatives such as encouraging car sharing, cyclist facilities, toolbox talks about specific site issues. The considerate constructors site monitors reports for the project are appended overleaf.
The main contracor achieved 91% recycling from its mixed waste produced during the construction of the Welcome Building. The canteen waste from the welfare cabins was segregated for composting, and the timber surplus was separated and taken off site by a local specialist timber recycling company who recycled the materials into furniture, pulp and other useable products. The team actively encouraged suppliers to reduce packaging to limit the amount of waste produced.
The carbon footprint during the work was monitored and shared with the Forestry Commission and posted on a site notice board during the works. The information includes details on travel distances and types used to access the rural site. Trade contractors used are local and exceeded Speller Metcalfe’s target of 75% from within a 30 mile radius of the arboretum.
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Social and Economically Sustainable Measures Achieved & Piloted
• Over 98 volunteers have contributed over 2,000 hours to the project so far to help complete the Welcome Building and Downland Restoration • Over 6,000sqm has been restored to Grade 1 downs landscape which has increased the habitat available for wildlife and also increasing the area of species rich grassland • Visitors now have the opportunity to learn more about the importance of the arboretum including the work we do, how we manage an internationally important tree collection and how we manage pests and disease • Visitor numbers have increased by 25% for the first three months after opening the new Welcome Building • We have cut expenditure used to manage the arboretum during our busiest season, autumn, due to the new efficient entry system, the new layout and the new permanent toilet facilities we now provide • The construction was phased to provide minimal disturbance to the site. • Communication of H&S measures was carried out with close consideration of the clients requirements • Speller Metcalfe has made a £5,000 contribution to the Arboretum through a tree adoption scheme, this will ensure the Arboretum will continue to thrive for future generations to enjoy
Page 6 Appendix O - Awards and Case Studies Case Studies I TRADA Page 1 of4
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Westonbirt Arboretum
Westonbirt Arboretum, Tetbury, GLoucestershi re
Structure, roof covering and external cladding, ceiling finish, doors, windows and internal joinery
Douglas fir, red cedar, whitewood
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Project Completion date: June 2014 Web Entry date: Jun 2015 Building Type: Visitor Centre Location: Tetbury County: Gloucestershire Country: England Timber Species: Douglas fir, red cedar, whitewood Awards: GreenApple Award winner RIBARegional Award shortlist RICS Award shortlist CPREGloucestershire Award 2014 winner Timber Element: Structure, roof covering and external cladding, ceiling finish, doors, windows and internal joinery Client: Forestry Commission Architect: Glenn Howells Architects Joinery: BCBRoofing Main contractor: Speller Metcalfe Structural engineer: Bura Happold Timber frame fabricator: Kingston Craftsmen
Introduction Westonbirt, the National Arboretum near Tetbury in Gloucestershire is one of the most spectacular collections of trees in the world. The 18,000 trees and shrubs, many planted in the mid-19th century, the heyday of Victorian plant hunters, are laid out in a Grade l-listed historic landscape of 600 acres(2.4km2) with 17 miles (27km) of marked paths for visitors. Thousands of visitors a year come to seethe rare and exotic trees planted in the Old Arboretum, the traditional working woodland dating back to the 13th century in the Silk Wood and, in autumn, the magnificent red blaze of its maples collection.
In 2010 the Forestry Commission,who own and manage the Arboretum, commissioned Glenn Howells Architects to develop a masterplan which, over the course of several phases,would improve the experience of visitors to the site. Improvement was needed; parking was haphazard; a single ticket hut caused long queues;toilets and cafe were scattered around the site and there was nowhere to provide information.
To addressthese pressing problems, Glenn Howells Architects has designed a new visitor centre, the Welcome Building, which stands at the main entrance to the Arboretum, its curved timber roof acting as a landmark to visitors arriving at the new car and coach park. {The former car park is now being restored to its original historic downland landscape).
The new building is the start of every visitor's journey to the Arboretum.Discreetly set in a natural landscape hollow, it is deliberately modest in scale to minimise its impact on the historic landscape and to maintain the main focus on the collection of trees. Materials have been carefully considered; in response to its sylvan location, the building has been designed as an exemplar of the use of UK sourced timber and to demonstrate the aesthetics and capability of green materials in construction. In plan the building forms a gentle curve with an open colonnaded entrance space at its centre, giving views of the Arboretum beyond. Once through the ticket barrier, the building's facilities are available; toilets and mobility scooter storage on one side of the building and an information centre on the other side, where visitors can learn about the heritage and importance of Westonbirt's world class tree
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collection, its management, and the wider roLeof the tree.
The design of the buiLding has been deveLopedto deaLwith a variety of visitor LeveLsand hasthe flexibility to aLLowthe Forestry Commission to manage visitor flows.
The structure The buiLding is predominantLy singLestorey, with a mezzanine LeveLover haLfof it. The timber structuraL frame, of UK sourced C24 green DougLasfir, was Laidout on a semi-circuLargrid, with a typicaL structuraL bay of 2.39 metres. The main coLumnsand rafters are formed of 200 x 350mm solid timber sections. Due to the high moisture content of green DougLasfir members of a size greater than 75 mm and the subsequent amount of time required for them to dry out, they were designed as Service Class 3 (exposed timber).
To create an impressive entrance and to make the most of the educationaLdispLayarea, the design caLLedfor an elegant, clear height space rising to the pitched roof, with no obstructions. But to achieve a pitched roof spacewith no visible ties was a structuraLchallenge. A number of options were investigated by the structural engineer, Buro HappoLd,including the use of a ring beam to control the spread forces of the roof, the use of moment connections and the installation of a continuous steel ridge beam with the rafters 'hung' from it.
However each of these options either Ledto larger members, reducing the internaL space,or introduced a steel frame, an addition which was not consistent with the concept of a timber structure.
The successful solution utilised the diaphragm action of the timber sheathing on the roof. The principle of this idea was that the diaphragm would act to transfer the spread load of the roof to shear walls, where a tie beam couLdbe concealed within the wall build up. The diaphragm was designed to Eurocode 5 as both an angled racking paneLand a floor diaphragm. A finite element analysis model was used to carry out a further check on the stresses in the roof panels, to determine the member and connection forces and to check spreading deflections.
The stability of the first fLoor mezzanine level of the structure is provided by the centraLcoLumnand by the diaphragm action of the first floor which transfers the LateraLLoadsto shear walLs. The DougLasfir frame members were treated with a clear wood preservative and a thin sacrificiaLtimber cover was applied to exposed coLumnfaces to add durability to the structure.
The design and use of timber To accord with the aims of the project as an exemplar of a UK sourced green timber structure, all timber used was FSCor PEFC®certified and the timber frame and external cladding were sourced, sawn and fabricated in the UK.
A key aspect of the design was the need to achieve a smooth externaL curved appearance to the building; the choice of timber for the externaL cladding and its detailing was critical. Green UK-sourced red cedar battens were chosen and proved an excellent material to create the curve; laid horizontally, they have sufficient elasticity to curve smoothLy but are robust enough, untreated, to deal with the reLatively exposed Location.The cladding battens were deliberately fixed with deep shadow gaps between to allow them to move slightly while the appearance of the curve of the building remains consistent. The roof is clad with untreated red cedar bias cut shingLes;the bias cut offered better durability and quality on a sawn shingle without the irregularity of hand riven shakes. The ceiling and waLlsof the colonnaded entrance space are Linedwith the same red cedar battens used on the external waLLs.Internal ceilings are Linedwith painted whitewood boards, set apart with shadow gaps.The Douglas fir structural frame is exposed in the exhibition space and the reception desk is also clad in DougLasfir. Locally sourced Pennant and Cotswold stone were used for the floor of the main
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exhibition space and for the perimeter of the building.
The use of wood species and products UK or European sourced timber has been used wherever possible. The Douglas fir used in the structural frame of the building was from Powys and Cleobury Mortimer, near Kidderminster and the frame was fabricated by Kingston Craftsmen of Hull. The cladding battens, also UK grown timber, are untreated cedar from the Faccombe Estate in Andover, Hampshire and from Kilburn Hood Hill in North Yorkshire. The battens were sawn at English Cocking Sawmills in West Sussex.The roof shingles, from the same supplier, were also cedar but they came from Franceas UK varieties were considered to be too porous for this application. Other softwood timber elements of the schemewere sourced from local suppliers.
SustainabiLity The Welcome Building was designed using timber and low energy technologies to reduce its impact on the environment. The building itself employs a variety of low energy design features including an air source heat pump for heating, high natural light levels and natural ventilation. All timber used on the project is FSCcertified and the majority including the structural frame and cladding is sourced from the UK and fabricated in the UK.
As part of the masterplan Glenn Howells Architects has also designed a meandering 300 metre long timber 'tree-top' walkway through the tree canopy of the Arboretum. This is currently on site and will be completed in October 2015.
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