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Discovery centre
The Discovery Centre
The Discovery Centre is under construction at present. Braintree District Council will manage the facility and hope to move in later next month to prepare for public use. The Discovery Centre will be open for the New Year!
The philosophy of the Discovery Centre is 'healthy body, healthy mind, healthy planet'. The Centre aims to provide facilities and activities that stimulate contemplation about how our physical and mental health can affect our attitudes and actions towards our planet.
Opening times: TBA
Charges: There is no entrance charge at the Discovery Centre. Parking charges are to be announced
What can be discovered at the Discovery Centre?
Outdoor sport pitches including an all weather, multi-activity, floodlit pitch for five-a-side football, basketball and tennis.
Outdoor cycle, walking and trim trails, providing equipment for all ages, including a climbing wall.
Educational areas designed for 'understanding the environment' through the use of ponds, wetlands and meadows.
Indoor educational and activity rooms to cater for a variety of functions and clubs such as community events, festivals and school groups.
Changing facilities.
Visitor features:
Visitor display room
External viewing balcony and internal viewing gallery
Education/school and venue room
Refreshments
Toilets
Great Notley Bowl (exterior amphitheatre)
Great Notley Country Park
And
The Discovery Centre! (there is a lot to learn about the building)
Design concept
The Discovery Centre has been designed to have a minimal impact on the environment. Procedures as detailed as purchasing copper piping from sources that use Hydro Electric Power for smelting has been included in the construction. Forward planning has also been included in its design, as the Discovery Centre will cause minimal impact on the environment when it comes to the end of its life. Nearly all of the materials used can be recycled and the landscape can be easily recreated thanks to shallow foundations.
Sustainable features of the Discovery Centre
Wind turbine
Termodeck Flooring The concrete floors throughout the Discovery Centre have hollow cores running through them. These hollow cores have many outlets in the floors of the Discovery Centre.
There is a large air inlet at the front of the Discovery Centre. The air that comes into the building from the inlet is then blown around the building to regulate the air temperature, this keeps the building cool in summer. In winter the air is blown through the boiler which heats the air and keeps the Discovery Centre warm in the colder months.
Water system, includes solar panels and wetland treatment system
Contact information
Centre manager - Paul Sherriff
Project co-ordinator - Ivan LeFevre
Parks and Landscape Services Braintree District Council Causeway House Braintree Essex United Kingdom CM7 9HB Some pictures and text courtesy of BDC.
©2000 Braintree District Council |
