Nature Discovery Centre
Client: West Berkshire Council
Location: Thatcham Lake and Reedbed Nature Reserve
The Centre attracts over 50,000 visitors a year and plays a role in raising awareness of both local and global environmental issues. Education focuses on informal child and family learning in environmental education, the arts and sustainability issues and provides an enhanced learning environment for local people, schools and the wider community.
For Springboard the project involved the total refit of the exhibition and cafe areas at the Centre including space planning and interior finishes. We handled all aspects of the 2D and 3D design work including interactive exhibits, picture research, copy writing, photography, installation and project management.
Interchangeable graphic panels allow the Centre to keep in tune with the seasonal variations in the surrounding landscape.
The lake display wall has a fish tank fitted behind it and seasonal graphic panels. The yellow viewer on the left shows back-lit images of water creatures which live at different depths in the lake. Two large fibreglass trees were made by our model makers using casts taken on the site.
We designed the ‘discovery zone’ upstairs to emulate a naturalist’s study, filled with reference books, microscopes, photographic displays and natural history specimens.
Four purpose-made cubes provide ‘feelie boxes’, jigsaw tables and other hands-on activities for children.
The bird identification wall shows images and descriptions of species visiting the reserve.