As the hybrid structures specialist, B&K Structures aided the detailed design and installation of the Visitor Centre’s superstructures alongside Civic Engineers from concept through RIBA Stages 4, completing the erection of the structural frame at the beginning of 2020, with practical completion in the summer.
The use of engineered glulam timber and CLT superstructure elements achieve key ambitions for the client and contractor, maximising the sustainability of construction and enhanced speed and accuracy of erection through offsite construction techniques. Congratulations to all involved in the scheme! The new wooden-framed visitor welcome hub at Delamere Forest in Cheshire, welcomes over 750,000 visitors each year to run, walk, bike, horse ride, listen to live music or take part in a sports event.
The completed project improves the visitor experience with a new café featuring upgraded facilities including more indoor and outdoor seating, along with key accessibility improvements and a new car park with extra capacity and enhanced vehicle access to cater for busy days and popular events, like Forest Live concerts. Paddy Harrop, Forest Management Director for Central District including Delamere: “The new visitor hub is the most significant investment for Forestry England this year and shows how important Delamere Forest is as a visitor destination.
It’s an important green space for people living in nearby cities and towns to come and enjoy and these new facilities will really improve their experience. Forest Holidays’ cabins will allow visitors to experience Delamere in a new way and their investment will help to support the project.”
A brilliant case study on Delamere Forest Visitor Centre from Wood for Good. We were proud to help transform this £9million project into an arts and cultural space, where sustainability was at the heart of all aspects of the building’s design! Wood for Good: “Timber has been used throughout this entire project to bring Forestry England’s sustainable vision to life, and provides a key design feature both internally and externally. Not only has the use of engineered glulam timber and CLT reduced the visitor centre’s carbon footprint, it enabled the main structure to be manufactured quickly and accurately off-site before being installed in January 2020.”