Just six months after completion, The LookOut has been identified as an excellent model for sustainability. Our inspiring building has been shortlisted for a Greenbuild award, which was something to aspire to from the very beginning, five years ago.
Amazing support from Halcyon Gallery enabled us to raise funds to create the sustainable building, through the beautiful Serenity sculpture by Simon Gudgeon on the shores of the Serpentine.
Designed by David Morley Architects, The LookOut reflects its surroundings not only through its aesthetics, but also its performance. Created to look like a tree with green oak frames and a brown roof, the venue blends discretely into its unique location in Hyde Park.
Working in such an incredible space is empowering us to practice what we preach; our two compost bins are slowly getting filled and the residents in our wormery are turning our used teabags into natural fertilizer.
Our guess is that not many venues can say that they are built on an old Victorian reservoir from which water is drawn to flush their toilets – but we can! It also displays a number of other design features to aid sustainability including:
- A brown roof to encourage diversity and thermoregulation
- Wall cavities filled with recycled newspaper
- Maximisation of natural ventilation and light
- Appliances which are low-carbon and water-saving
- Bat boxes to encourage biodiversity and rare species habitat creation
This unique building is the perfect place to teach young people about caring for their environment. Schools can book sessions to explore sustainable living; being able to see our design features first hand before engaging with games developed to make them think about their own lives. Find out more about the sessions on offer and how to book.
We’ve got our fingers and toes crossed for the awards in May!
9 March 2012
