Stanpit Marsh Information Centre wins International Award

The Information Centre at Stanpit Marsh has won an International Green Apple Award for the built environment and architectural heritage.

Designers of the Centre, White Design, entered the building for the awards and were delighted to receive a Gold in the Support Services category. Project designer Adriana Robert Rodriguez attended the presentation ceremony at Hampton Court Palace.

This is the second major award for the Information Centre, which opened in September 2008, having been named Best Sustainable Development at the Local Authority Building Control South West Region Building Excellence Awards earlier this year.

The Green Apple Awards are organised by The Green Organisation, an independent environment group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world.

The Centre provides information and displays about wildlife on the marsh. Environmental features of the design include wind and solar power, a filtered water supply from rainwater and a composting toilet.

Craig White of White Design said: “We were delighted to work with Christchurch Borough Council to achieve their aim of creating a truly sustainable building and we believe we’ve been able to go beyond this ambition. As a totally self-sufficient building in its energy use, Stanpit Marsh Information Centre is fully ‘off-grid” and we think it could be a model for other nature reserves to follow”.

Christchurch Borough Council commissioned the building and funded it, along with contributions from the Friends of Stanpit Marsh. Cllr Colin Jamieson, portfolio holder for Protecting the Environment at the Council, said: “This award confirms the fact that the Information Centre, being environmentally-friendly, is the right sort of building for Stanpit Marsh. As well as winning awards, it has also proved to be a winner with the many people who come to enjoy the beautiful environment of the Marsh, as it fits in so well with its location.”