The Nature Discovery Centre
Encyclopedia
The Nature Discovery Centre is a nature centre in the town of Thatcham
in the county of Berkshire
in England. It is situated at Thatcham Lake, a flooded gravel
quarry
near to the Thatcham Reed Beds
.
The Nature Discovery Centre opened in 1995 and currently attracts over 75,000 visitors each year. A further estimated 75,000 visitors use the surrounding site for recreational activities throughout the year. There are a number of paths, a wooden sculpture trail and bird hide. The Visitor Centre has a café and offers an extensive programme of events.
The sustainable features include:
Thatcham
Thatcham is a town in Berkshire, England 3 miles east of Newbury and 15 miles west of Reading. It covers about and has a population of 23,000 people . This number has grown rapidly over the last few decades from 5,000 in 1951 and 7,500 in 1961.It lies on the River Kennet, the Kennet and Avon...
in the county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
in England. It is situated at Thatcham Lake, a flooded gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
near to the Thatcham Reed Beds
Thatcham Reed Beds
Thatcham Reed Beds is a 66.9 hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest in the civil parish of Thatcham in the English county of Berkshire, notified in 1974....
.
The Nature Discovery Centre opened in 1995 and currently attracts over 75,000 visitors each year. A further estimated 75,000 visitors use the surrounding site for recreational activities throughout the year. There are a number of paths, a wooden sculpture trail and bird hide. The Visitor Centre has a café and offers an extensive programme of events.
Refurbishment
The building was refurbished in 2007 giving the centre new features designed to make the building more sustainable and energy efficient and to reduce its impact on the local environment.The sustainable features include:
- Rock fibre insulation in the walls, floor and roof.
- Solar panels on the roof.
- Reception desk and cupboards made by local craftsman Colin Underhay from local English Oak.
- Floor tiles which are made from renewable materials such as linseed oilLinseed oilLinseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil, is a clear to yellowish oil obtained from the dried ripe seeds of the flax plant . The oil is obtained by cold pressing, sometimes followed by solvent extraction...
, wood flourWood flourWood flour is finely pulverized wood that has a consistency fairly equal to sand or sawdust, but can vary considerably, with particles ranging in size from a fine powder to roughly the size of a grain of rice. Most wood flour manufacturers are able to create batches of wood flour that have the...
and juteJuteJute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which has been classified in the family Tiliaceae, or more recently in Malvaceae....
. - Rainwater harvestingRainwater harvestingRainwater harvesting is the accumulating and storing of rainwater for reuse before it reaches the aquifer. It has been used to provide drinking water, water for livestock, water for irrigation, as well as other typical uses. Rainwater collected from the roofs of houses and local institutions can...
system. - SedumSedumSedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. It contains around 400 species of leaf succulents that are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, varying from annual and creeping herbs to shrubs. The plants have...
roof reducing the need for heating in cold weather and cooling in hot weather. - Bio fuel pellet boiler burns small wood pellets made from sawdust.
- Low flush toiletLow flush toiletA low flush or low flow toilet is a flush toilet that uses significantly less water than a full flush toilet. Most low flush toilets use 6 liters, or 1.6 gallons per flush as opposed to the usual 13.2 liters, or about 3.5 gallons. They came into use in the United States in the 1990s, citing water...
s and waterless urinals.