Attenborough-approved green
The wildlife charity’s head UK office and education hub brings the spirit of woodland inside. With its light-filled arched timber frame, you could well be stepping into a gigantic treehouse.
📍Location
Surrey, UK
🏢Building Details
Completed 2013, following £5m donation from the Rufford Foundation in 2006
Whole site = 90,000 sq ft; Building = 40,000 sq ft
2-storey low-rise with curved roof – surrounded by trees, grasses, and wetland
Includes office (open-plan for 300 workers), education hub, and 150-seat auditorium
👷🏾♀️Contractor
Richard Bartlett, Sustainability Manager & Senior Bid Manager @ Willmott Dixon
✍️Architects & Engineers
Mike Taylor, Senior Partner @ Hopkins Architects
Andrew Weir, Director @ Expedition Engineering
Fred Labbé, Director @ Expedition Engineering
🌱Sustainability
BREEAM Outstanding – uses 67% less energy than typical office
Built on Woking carpark brownfield site = minimal disruption to natural environment
Construction ‘take-back’ scheme diverted 99% of waste from landfill
Passive design: natural ventilation (facilitated by red and green ‘traffic light’ system indicating when to open windows) + effective insulation
5,000+ sq ft of roof solar PV panels provide 20% of energy
Sustainable urban draining system (SUDS) – attenuates floods and creates wild wetland area attracting aquatic invertebrates
🥦 Wellbeing
Ample outdoor working and relaxation space: dedicated areas for employees to grow their own plants, fruit and veg
High ‘gridshell’ design roof: grid of timber beams dissected by rows of skylights lets natural light flood in
Egalitarian ‘deep-green’ hot-desk plan (includes CEO + Directors): clear-desk policy minimises clutter and maximises productivity
Sound-masking system generates subtle ‘white noise’, masking background chatter with soothing birdsong
🎈Bonus feature
It was opened on 1st November 2013 by Sir David Attenborough himself. He even helped plant one of their indoor fig trees. If it has Attenborough’s approval, it jolly well has ours.
🔗 Check it out http://assets.wwf.org.uk/custom/stories/lpc/?_ga=2.79120722.734011224.1638552249-1439128919.1638552249
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