Project: Willow Park Horticultural Centre
Location: Manchester
Value: £600K

Willow Park Housing Trust wished to provide a facility both for themselves and the wider community, providing flexible facilities for horticultural activities for grounds maintenance and a bespoke training facility for local people, and an environmental education centre for local schools in secure, friendly, accessible and uplifting surroundings. This work involved master planning the Trust’s grounds to create a nursery, glasshouses, poly tunnels, stock-beds, a selling area and a new wildlife area.

The project was required to demonstrate energy efficiency principles by providing a ‘Zero Net C02’ Building. Renewable materials and environmental conservation principles were used in construction to create a flagship energy efficient scheme.

The scheme includes: a structure formed from sustainable timber, recycled insulation materials, wind and solar electricity, solar water and 'ground sourced' heating, and rainwater ‘harvesting’ for use both within the building and the garden centre.