Artists’ impression of Harlow Carr Learning Centre and Library. © Tom Stuart-Smith.
The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation provided a grant of £50,000 towards The Harlow Carr Learning Centre and Library, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Yorkshire in 2007/08.
The Harlow Carr Learning Centre will be a flagship example of sustainable development, taking a holistic approach to energy efficiency in its design – a super insulated, low energy, BREEAM building designed to be rated as Outstanding. Integrated renewable energy technologies, maximisation of thermal properties and use of all possible on-site resources will combine to produce a ‘deep green’ space for learning.
The creation of the Learning Centre will enable to the RHS to triple its capacity for school visits by providing a variety of teaching spaces in which visiting schoolchildren, adult learners, the community and casual visitors will be able to learn about horticulture and engage with the natural world. The building will also act as a hub for the Society’s outreach work across the region increasing the opportunities for engagement with audiences who most need access to the life-enhancing qualities of plants and green space.