A new £4m Visitor Centre to tell the exciting story of 'The King in the Car Park'. Following the extraordinary discovery of King Richard III in a Leicester car park Leicester City Council commissioned Maber Architects to design a major new visitors centre for the city, and working with exhibition designers to provide an extraordinary visitor experience telling the story of the Dynasty, Death and Discovery of King Richard III. The King Richard III Centre, located on the site of the grave and within a former Grammar School, includes elements of renovation and new build. The design of the new building elements and alterations to the existing building fabric complement the fascinating exhibition, designed by Studio MB, which leads the visitor through the life of Richard III to the present day discovery. The design of the King Richard III Centre takes into account the importance and sensitivity of the final resting place of a former King of England and uses locally sourced materials to reflect the City of Leicester and historical references to the former medieval Greyfriars church, which stood on the site at the time of King Richard's life and death. Sustainability: A sensitive conversion of a former Victorian grammar school building that forms an important contributor to Leicester's Historic Quarter - This includes carefully restoring the existing fabric whilst inserting new elements including a staircase & lift and high level of AV and M&E services suitable for an exhibition environment. Any visitor centre has a high energy demand due to the equipment specified and this is offset by the centre being connected to the District Heating system for Leicester, which provides all hot water and heating demand for the building. All materials within the new build have been sourced locally - The limestone walls are from Ancaster, Lincolnshire, the stone flooring is from Derbyshire and the exposed timber is locally sourced English Green Oak - this is to replicate how Greyfriar Church would have sourced their materials locally. This also reduces the carbon footprint of the building. Good Design: The proposals draws influence from the historic remains of the Greyfriars church, which will is represented as part of the new structures, and contributes to the interpretation of this special place. The new structures are carefully designed to protect existing archaeological features, and better reveal these heritage assets. The new roofs are visible and are therefore finished in a high quality standing seam Brass to compliment the material palette of the new elements. The boundary wall and new enclosures are a defining feature of the site. The new feature wall reaches forward to draw people in to the main entrance from St Martin's. This echoes the historic boundary development of the site, and delineate the public and private areas. The wall then connects new build spaces and forms and enclosure to the courtyard - it also separates the grave enclosure structure so this reinforces the 'King in the Car Park' message.