The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) celebrates and recognises those working to enhance the Hampshire countryside. The project won the East Hampshire and Winchester District’s `Sustainable Buildings’ category.
The Learning Centre at Winchester Cathedral was entirely located in a Grade I listed eighteenth century house and the Cathedral needed to expand these facilities, making them more accessible and to meet the demand from school groups and general visitors.
The decision was made to create a new free-standing building on the site of a scheduled ancient monument, which came with its own challenges to overcome, such as designing the new learning centre with a raft foundation to avoid interfering with the archaeological layers below.
Designed to have a low carbon footprint and using sustainable materials, including handmade clay tiles and wood from locally sourced storm damaged trees for the oak framed structure beneath, the new Learning Centre houses a spacious seminar room with the capacity for 120 students. It provides a modern facility to accommodate the needs of the Cathedral, whilst respecting the significant surroundings that it sits in.