Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre is part of a £5 million scheme for RSPB to provide new facilities including car park, staff accommodation, toilets, changing places facility, welcome zone, retail and catering offer which links to an amphitheatre space, children’s play area and Sherwood Forest. The new facilities offer exciting events and activities and act as a gateway, providing free access to the Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve. The 558m2 building design is inspired by the idea of the trees sheltering Robin Hood and is an organic form with the use of a larch glulam timber frame clad with cedar shingles. The design concept is for a twisting, undulating structure which provides a focal point and visual stop end to Forest Corner, curving with over sailing canopy to provide a sheltered entrance to the visitor centre. As the building drops towards the forest to the north, it curves in the opposite direction with a similar over sailing roof to form a sheltered outdoor seating area alongside an amphitheatre to the west. A curved ramp defines the amphitheatre allowing access for all across the site. The building therefore provides the transition from Forest Corner and the historic village of Edwinstowe to Sherwood Forest, forming a gateway to the national nature reserve through a truly inclusive design. The client and design team worked collaboratively to develop the design, liaising with community and stakeholders through a series of community workshops to ensure that the scheme sits within Edwinstowe village and knits in with the community, with the high street just a short walk away. The centre defines a new village square to Forest Corner linking the YHA, Cricket Club and Arts & Crafts Centre. The arts centre houses a number of businesses, who have seen a huge increase in footfall since the centre opened. Address: Sherwood Forest, Edwinstowe, Mansfield NG21 9RN "We were tasked with providing a visitor centre which would be a modern gateway to the ancient forest, and feel that the completed building matches this brief perfectly. JDDK designed a centre befitting of this legendary forest, and produced a building which sits beautifully in this landscape, of which we are extremely proud." Ross Frazer, RSPB Project Manager Awards: RICS East Midlands 2019: Community Benefit RICS East Midlands 2019: Tourism & Leisure LABC East Midlands 2019: Best Small Commercial Project