The first building on the site, a low cost visitor centre, was set into this rugged and spectacular landscape. Millions of years ago the site was underwater, and fossils of tropical sea creatures and plants are revealed in the former quarry workings.
A series of terraces, rough steps and carefully placed large boulders were fashioned in order to place this fairly large and prominent building into the landscape in a rugged but meaningful way.
We designed the visitor building which was to be the catalyst for a larger project to follow. Our budget was very limited and a constraints of the site were immense - very difficult access, an unknown number of mines and shafts, as well as working within a site of special scientific and landscape interest.
Our brief also required the largest possible floorspace to be achieved. The solution involved the construction of a large but crisply detailed industrial shed with 'flourishes'. These included south facing glazed wall and a purpose built plywood wall to the north as well as bold landscape interventions to integrate the building into its rugged context.
A series of terraces, rough steps and carefully placed large boulders were fashioned in order to place this fairly large and prominent building into the landscape in a rugged but meaningful way.
We designed the visitor building which was to be the catalyst for a larger project to follow. Our budget was very limited and a constraints of the site were immense - very difficult access, an unknown number of mines and shafts, as well as working within a site of special scientific and landscape interest.
Our brief also required the largest possible floorspace to be achieved. The solution involved the construction of a large but crisply detailed industrial shed with 'flourishes'. These included south facing glazed wall and a purpose built plywood wall to the north as well as bold landscape interventions to integrate the building into its rugged context.
National Stone Centre, Wirksworth