Studio Octopi and More Design are runners-up

Mark Wray Architects has won an open design competition to design a visitor centre for the Woodland Trust.

The Bath practice beat two other finalists, Studio Octopi and More Design, with each receiving an honorarium of £3,000. There were more than 250 entries.

The RIBA competition is for a visitor hub at the 250ha Langley Vale Wood near Epsom in Surrey where 200,000 native broadleaf trees will be planted to commemorate all those involved in the First World War.

The building will provide facilities for visitors, allowing them to stay longer, and create a “welcoming and exciting connection” to the woodland.

The design by Mark Wray Architects was felt to have responded most effectively to the site and to the Woodland Trust. The panel said it was an “imaginative and beautiful scheme which would demonstrate well how mankind and nature can co-exist”.

RIBA adviser Sarah Wigglesworth said: “This project has been a great opportunity for a new practice to realise a highly visible public building. Each of the three shortlisted schemes were all stunning in their own way, making the judging process challenging. The selected project was highly imaginative, simple, practical and of its place, while clearly communicating the ethos of the Woodland Trust. I very much look forward to seeing it built. Congratulations to the winning team and commiserations to those that so nearly made it.”

The Woodland Trust will now work closely with the winning team to develop their design and submit a planning application.

 

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