Built on a historic quarry site within the 18th-century Bretton Estate, The Weston has upgraded the visitor experience at the most eastern entrance to the Park.
The beautiful, light-filled building was designed by architects Feilden Fowles and constructed by William Birch. It has increased essential capacity at the award-winning open-air gallery, which welcomes around 500,000 visitors every year. The Centre comprises a restaurant, gallery space, public foyer and shop.
The Weston is carefully designed to have minimum impact on the site and fits sympathetically with the historic landscape. Constructed from layered pigmented concrete, evoking the strata of sandstone bedrock, the building emerges from the ground and is defined by a concrete saw-tooth roof. Its low profile protects it from the motorway and forms a sheltered, sunken terrace with views across the Park.
Well insulated and naturally ventilated, the centre also features an air-source heat pump and a pioneering low-energy environmental control system which uses a passive humidity buffer to maintain favourable gallery conditions.
William Birch has worked on some of the region’s most high profile visitor attractions in the region and this project has added to that growing portfolio. The Centre was officially opened on March 30th.
Photo credit; Midi Photography
