Eco hub wins sustainability award

A cutting edge eco hub, created using old wooden seaside defences, has won a sustainability award.
A cutting edge eco hub, created using old wooden seaside defences, has won a sustainability award.
The beach-based venue at Durley Chine, one of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council’s developments, won the prestigious Sustainability prize at the 2023 Constructing Excellence South West (CESW) awards.
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The two-storey building was designed around themes of recycling and reusing, featuring an educational amenity and meeting space, welfare facilities for seafront waste collection staff, a beach-side kiosk and toilets on the ground floor.

Over 45 tonnes of reclaimed timber, collected from old groynes removed from the seafront as part of the 17-year Poole Bay Beach Management scheme, were used in the creation and decking of the main building.

One side of the hub’s roof has been planted with species of vegetation matching those growing on the cliffs behind, while the low-lighting design accommodates bats.

Photovoltaic solar panels overlay the rest of the building, drawing solar power from the sun which helps to create a zero-carbon environment. Any excess energy can be fed back into the main grid.
The kiosk has been formed using low-carbon concrete and recycled glass, and drinks and snacks are available while avoiding any single-use plastics. Visitors are encouraged to use the free water refill station, situated by the main entrance.

Materials used in the creation of the hub have a low embodied carbon footprint, meaning low carbon dioxide emissions are released during their manufacture, transport to site and use in construction. Reliance on plastics and steel has also been minimalised.

What happens at the end of the building’s life has also been taken into consideration, with many materials capable of being recovered and reused in other projects.