Living Planet Centre opens for Heritage Open Day
This Saturday, 13th September 2014, WWF’s Woking home the Living Planet Centre will open its doors to the public as part of a national event which takes place every September. During the day there will be an exhibition on the story of the new building as well as the opportunity to see the architect’s model of the building, boards from the design and planning process and materials from the building. Hopkins Architects, responsible for the design of the Living Planet Centre, will be giving a talk on the process from design to completion.
Heritage Open Day is a celebration of England’s fantastic architecture and culture which sees interesting buildings across the country offer free access to places that are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission. Buildings of every age, style and function open their doors in a once-a-year chance to discover architectural treasures and enjoy a wide range of tours, events and activities. WWF’s building, which is one of the few buildings across the country to have achieved the BREEAM outstanding status, will also host a heritage trail between the Living Planet Centre and our neighbours at The Lightbox.
Karen Gravestock, Director of People and Place at WWF-UK, said:
“Although our doors are open to the public during the week the Living Planet Centre is usually closed at the weekend, so we’re looking forward to welcoming people who have not been able to visit us before. It’s fantastic to be part of a national initiative that encourages us to appreciate the environment around us, and promotes architecture, including sustainable buildings like ours.”
Abi Hall, Learning Manager at The Lightbox, said:
“We are delighted to be teaming up with the Living Planet Centre to celebrate Heritage Open Days and Love Architecture 2014 with a joint trail. The Lightbox was designed by the architects of the London Eye, Marks Barfield and the specially designed trail will take families on an exploration around these two wonderful examples of modern architecture. In addition, we will be holding free, drop-in, object handling sessions with artefacts from The Lightbox’s History Collection. Katherine Higgins, well-known BBC vintage expert, will also be joining us for an In Conversation with Vintage Beauty Experts to reveal the secrets behind glamourous post Second World War beauty. It is so important to recognise the rich heritage in this country and we enjoy celebrating every year.”
