Daria

Druridge Bay Visitor Centre

Located in Northumberland and set beside Ladyburn Lake, a new visitor centre, hostel and sailing school will help to increase the number of visitors to the already popular destination whilst improving the quality of the visitors’ experience. The new Visitor centre marks the start of a welcoming curve that forms by taking influence from the natural flow of the site, leading visitors through to the hostel, which is set down 2m to increase privacy and security for those staying overnight. A new sailing school will also open new opportunities for groups and individuals to take part in water sports, both on the lake and on the nearby beach. The facades of the buildings vary in the density of the vertical cladding elements to visually convey how public or private a space is intended to be, further supported in some cases by relevant landscaping.

Taking influence from the forms found around the site, key aspects began to shape the concept. The low horizon, broken only by the verticality of the trees, the exposed nature that created variation in how the elements affected the site and the fragmented views created by the trees, reeds and sand dunes around the lake gave key words that helped shape the design of the new visitor centre. Fragmented, Weathered and Conflicting all led the design, creating a series of buildings and spaces that shape the visitor experience while also creating a sheltered space that welcomes visitors and weathers into the site over time.