Harlow Carr Learning Centre, North Yorkshire

Following on from the success of our masterplanning exercise for the Society, we were commissioned to draw up a detailed planning application for this exciting new facility at RHS Harlow Carr.

Educational programmes for all ages form a vital part of the charitable activity of the Society, and the teams at Harlow Carr run a varied collection of courses, evening classes, schools programmes and outreach projects. The new learning centre will house Harlow Carr's impressive library, as well as providing much needed new teaching space and staff accommodation.

Designed by EcoArc, this new building is set to achieve one of the highest BREEAM ratings achieved by any building in Britain, to which our landscape proposals have made a contribution.

Masterplanning concepts for the learning centre landscape were established by garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith, kin unison with our site-wide masterplan, after which we were commissioned to take those concepts through planning, costing, detailing and implementation.

The project forms part of our site-wide sustainable drainage scheme for Harlow Carr, in which surface water run off is managed in a creative and visible way, becoming a reminder of the heritage of the spa town of Harrogate and an educational message to visitors.