The installation will consist of four enclosed ‘zones’, or ‘pods’, each of which is designed to reflect an environmental theme – fresh water, marine, forest and wildlife. Sensory devices that play on light, sound, ambience and scent will create what the studio describes as an ‘immersive’ experience for visitors to the centre.
At around 4m high and 4m wide, each pod will be constructed from sustainable natural materials including timber, cork and felt. The installation is due to be completed this autumn when the building, called the Living Planet Centre, opens to the public. The WWF-UK is also due to relocate there from its current base in Godalming, Surrey.
Hopkins Architects, designer of the Living Planet Centre, hopes it will achieve a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating, the highest BREEAM level of sustainable building design and construction.
