Inside WWF’s HQ | The Living Planet Centre | Sustainable Architecture

This video was kindly sponsored by the Nick Mourne Foundation. Last year we cycled 2,000 kilometers across Europe in order to raise money for the World Wildlife Fund's Amazon Emergency Appeal. This year we were invited to WWF's UK HQ known as the Living Planet Centre and in this video we're going to show you how their office and educational centre has earned the title of one of the UK's most sustainable buildings. Welcome back to Going Green, today we're in Surrey visiting the Living Planet Centre which is WWF's UK home base. This building was officially opened in November of 2013 when Sir David Attenborough planted one of the first trees inside the building. Hopkins architects spearheaded the project back in 2008 when the site was simply a car park surrounded by ancient woodlands. The construction of the project needed to be respectful to the local environment and the surrounding community, therefore the design team that was chosen had expertise in sustainable design and had previously carried out incredible projects including the construction of the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome Stadium. This site was chosen due to it being a brownfield site meaning that it was earmarked for development eventually as opposed to being a greenfield site which developing on would cause severe disruption to the natural environment. It is also in Woking, a town with easy access to London with an already environmentally conscious council. Alongside being as sustainable as possible affordability was also a main priority for WWF when building the Living Planet Centre as they wanted to set an example that building with the environment in mind does not need to cost the world. They also achieved significant savings by using recycled materials and sourced locally. Overall this managed to reduce the embodied carbon emissions by 42% over the duration of the building project at no additional cost. Some of the key sustainability factors of the building are the solar panels, the materials chosen and passive design features which incorporates elements such as effective insulation, low energy consumption and rooftop wind cowls that allow for natural ventilation. The roof is covered in 410 solar panels which provide the building with 20% of its energy. WWF also intends not to send any waste to landfill, therefore compost waste from the building produces biogas to generate electricity on site and residual waste is used as fertilizer. Thames Way Energy supplies the remainder of the electricity from the combined heat and power plant. The main materials used in this building were various types of native timber and recycled materials with 99% of construction waste not going to landfill as WWF opted for take-back schemes in which unused or excess materials could go back to manufacturers and suppliers. The building has been given the certificate of BREEAM Outstanding, one of the most prestigious eco-design certifications in the world due to its eco-conscious design. With the Living Planet Centre being on the fringes of an ancient woodland, WWF made it a priority to look after the local biodiversity by installing bat boxes, birdhouses and book hotels on site. They also house a local wetland pond where excess rainwater collected from the roof drains in to support an ecosystem of plants and wildlife. WWF has proven that with mindfulness and a respect for the local environment, great design can be achieved that is both affordable and sustainable. We hope that this project will inspire any designers out there looking for ways to create more sustainably and to look at the bigger picture when planning any projects. Thank you for watching, please give this video a thumbs up if you enjoyed it and don't forget to subscribe to Going Green. We'll see you in the next one.