Responding to the competition brief for a new visitor centre at Great Fen in Cambridgeshire, our proposed scheme is phased for practicality and uses existing resources wisely. An existing portal frame shed is adapted as a low cost, sustainable and quick starting point that can be extended in the future. Woven willow cladding sourced locally by community groups provides a natural habitat. Using elevation to understand and connect with the landscape, the visitor centre features an elevated open plan first floor that offers breathtaking views; ‘land-bridges’ to enter and exit the building provide a raised path through the landscape; and a tethered observation balloon provides 360 degree views of an evolving landscape......
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