Brockholes wetland to open at Easter
Preston's new Brockholes wetland and woodland nature reserve and floating visitor centre is set to open on Sunday 24 April.
Owned and managed by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, the visitor attraction was built on a 260-acre former gravel extraction site in Salmesbury, just outside Preston.
Designed by RIBA award-winning Adam Khan Architects, with support from Max Fordham Building Services Engineers, consulting engineers Price & Myers and project managers Jackson Coles, the centre was inspired by Arab marshland villages.
The pontoon is environmentally low impact and includes energy conservation features, renewable technology, reduced water usage and composting and recycling facilities.
The cluster of five barn-like buildings of roughly 2,000 sq ft each were constructed from timber, certified by Forest Stewardship Council, and solvent free resin flooring.
The £8.6m project is funded by the North West Development Agency, landowner Lancashire Wildlife Trust and the Forestry Commission is installing a new 25,000 sq ft pontoon with a shop, restaurant, classroom and conference room.
Mansell Construction and Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering were the contractors appointed to build the visitor village.
Visitors will access the floating centre over a walkway bridge, where they will take in views right across the lake and beyond to the site's diverse grassland, meadow and wetland habitats, play zones and spaces dedicated to the preservation of the very best examples of Lancashire wildlife.
Click image to launch gallery
- Work started in December 2009
- Glazing was added at the top of the roof
- The floating village complete
