Oasis Nature Building

Location: Stockwell, London

Client: OasisPlay

Sector: Education, R&D, Social Good

Team:

Quantity Surveyor: Gardiner & Theobald

Structural Engineer: TERM Engineering

Oasis is a charity that provides diverse educational play space and learning opportunities for children and young people in Stockwell. The nature garden is one of three sites used by the charity along with the main playground and the kart track. The existing building is used for educational play, but as demand has grown, the current space has become too small. It is envisioned that the new building in addition to providing larger separate space for existing activities, a staff office and a communal space for staff and parents, an additional classroom will be provided for a ‘forest school’ nursery.

The proposed building is split into two volumes that correspond with the two main uses: forest nursery on the north side, and Nature Garden classroom with staff office on the south. The two volumes are connected by a shared external lobby and a veranda that opens to the garden on the west side facing Allen Edwards Primary School.

Level access from street and through the lobby to garden is achieved via two short ramps. The existing entrance gate is relocated to accommodate the ramp, and a new gate for goods deliveries is added north to the Nature Garden Building. Beyond the shared lobby, both buildings can work independently.

Oasis is keen to implement the Circular economy principles and processes in the construction of the new Oasis Nature Building and build it predominantly out of pre-used materials. A number of waste materials have been identified from other projects and organisations to be donated and re-used in Oasis Nature Garden. These are being deconstructed, protected, and stored for use when the charity project starts on site. The ultimate aim of this process is to create a “circularity network” to demonstrate and encourage other organisations to follow a similar process of re-use.

Several organizations have been contacted and agreed on the donation of materials for the Nature Garden Building. The list of materials is captured in a material inventory that is used to identify routes to use the available materials in the design that is being adapted to suit the components that have been sourced.