Camley Street Natural Park sits at the heart of Kings Cross, one of London’s largest redevelopment areas, adjacent to Regent’s Canal and surrounded by institutions, businesses and changing communities. Root And Erect’s design for the new Visitor & Learning Centre supports the London Wildlife Trust’s long-standing mission to provide a haven for nature and learning within an intensely urban setting, particularly to those with limited access to green space. The brief required a flexible facility that could host educational and volunteer programmes, support nature conservation and provide revenue through lettings and café sales.

The centre acts as a gatehouse zoning the site and creates open thresholds to the park while enabling seamless indoor-outdoor flow. Covered external areas, a seasonal wet landscape, and a biodiverse garden co-designed with volunteers extend the park’s ecological reach and learning potential.

The area’s industrial past infuses the architecture. The dark building envelope and roof form with three inverted ‘hoppers’ take inspiration from the industrial heritage of the site as coal drop. These hopper chimneys are simultaneously optimised as core components of the passive building strategy (day lighting, natural ventilation) and provide nesting places for wildlife. Large roof overhangs protect outdoor activities.

The timber frame, timber clad passive building has excellent embodied and operational sustainability credentials. Its lean plan and building form were designed to minimise energy demand. The high-performance building fabric with wood fibre insulation, optimised natural ventilation and daylighting, reduce cost and environmental impact.

Since reopening in 2021, the centre has welcomed over 200,000 visitors, engaging thousands of Londoners - particularly school children and underserved communities - in a meaningful connection to nature.