£3.3 million RHS education centre launched
1 July 2010
Blue Peter gardener Chris Collins joined Harrogate school children to officially open an innovative £3.3 million education centre at RHS Garden Harlow Carr, one of the UK’s greenest buildings.
The children from the town’s Beckwithshaw Community Primary School cut the first sod for construction of the Bramall Learning Centre in January 2009, and returned to cut a ceremonial ‘vegetable’ ribbon with Chris Collins and launch the eco-friendly building.
Designed around a gardening education philosophy with sustainability and biodiversity at its core, the Bramall Learning Centre provides free educational facilities for over 10,000 children every year within a low carbon building. The high quality teaching facilities are complemented by the new Blundell Library which is housed within the centre and offers the North’s premier public-access horticultural book collection.
In addition to a construction using renewable and recycled materials, the two-storey s-shaped building incorporates numerous features to minimise energy consumption.
These include sun pipes to channel natural light into rooms, a ground source heat pump, solar panels and a wind turbine.
On the exterior, a living roof and the carefully designed Montague Burton Teaching Garden and wildlife pond are key to encouraging biodiversity.
Liz Thwaite, Head of RHS Garden Harlow Carr says: “We are absolutely thrilled with the opening of the Bramall Learning Centre in Harlow Carr's 60th year and its creation is a tremendous achievement for all those involved. It was a pleasure to have Chris Collins joining us to celebrate the building's official opening as he shares our passion for inspiring children to get involved with gardening as part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle.”