Twycross Zoo is delighted to announce that they have been
shortlisted by the LABC East Midlands Region Building Excellence
Awards 2010, for the best large commercial development and best
sustainable project.
The awards will be held on the evening of Friday 4th June 2010
at the Pedigree Suite of Pride Park Stadium Derby. The
ceremony is hosted by regional television presenter Lucy Kite, and
LABC Regional Chairman Mick Henman.
The LABC Building Excellence Awards recognise and reward the
best quality construction in the East Midlands. The quality stems
from good design and an efficient design team, translated into
quality building by effective construction teams.
Throughout this process Local Authority Building Control
monitors the quality of design and construction. To win one of
these awards - even to be identified as a Finalist will generate
enormous prestige and pride for the organisations that take
part.
Director of Twycross Zoo, Suzanne Boardman said, "Himalaya our
new Visitor Centre incorporates a number of sustainable
technologies and eco-friendly features, many of which are not yet
widely used. Two boreholes were dug to facilitate the use of ground
source heating/cooling, and an intelligent building management
system monitors energy consumption and allows for efficiency to be
maximised. A series of reed beds has been created to purify
the Zoo's waste water, and the next phase is to recycle the water
back to Himalaya. As well as offering extensive recycling
capabilities, this area provides an aesthetically pleasing
environment for our visitors, and a key habitat for native species.
Himalaya has been designed to be environmentally green and
sustainable. The project team has achieved a BREEAM (Building
Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) rating of
'Excellent' for the build. Our early feedback from the visitors is
that they are fascinated by the snow leopard enclosure and the
overall atmosphere of the Himalaya which is an important landmark
development both for Twycross Zoo and the East Midlands."