Sustainability is at the heart of our new Young People’s Service pavilion.

Right from the design stage, we have sought to minimise the environmental impact of the pavilion – both its impact during its construction and the energy needed to run it.

We have worked to limit the emissions created during the construction of the pavilion (often called “embodied carbon”) by using sustainable low-carbon building materials such as timber. Using highly-insulated structural timber panels, constructed offsite and erected on site as a ‘kit of parts’, has reduced the carbon footprint further and significantly reduced the construction time too.

In order to minimise the energy consumption of the finished pavilion, the building has high levels of thermal insulation and will be fully electric. An efficient air source heat pump will be used for heating the building (through electric underfloor heating), and means we will not need a natural gas supply.

Even the orientation of the building has been considered with sustainability in mind. The pavilion is built on a north-south axis to allow the solar panel on the roof to get as much sunlight as possible to generate electricity for the building. This solar power will provide a significant amount of the buildings annual energy requirements!

Having a space that is in harmony with the gardens was a key part of the brief from the children involved in the design process. One way this will be achieved is through the two large glazed openings and roof lights in the building – with the added benefit of reducing our reliance on artificial lighting. This is balanced with ensuring there isn’t too much glazing to cause the building to overheat, and the incorporation of shade from the timber canopy that protects the building.

Taking these steps to create a sustainable new addition to the Hospice site is one of the ways we are putting our commitment to sustainability into action.

Find out more about our new pavilion, specifically designed for bereaved children and young people at https://www.st-gemma.co.uk/young-peoples-pavilion 

We’d like to introduce you to ArkleBoyce, the award-winning architecture studio who designed our brand-new pavilion for bereaved children.

Tell us a bit about Arkle Boyce

“ArkleBoyce was by James Arkle and Graham Boyce in 2014, and the team work nationally on a huge variety of projects of varying scales for a whole range of clients. From one-off private residencies to commercial developments. Masterplans to urban regenerations. It’s not the size of a project that inspires us, but the opportunity to create something special (this is very true of the work at St Gemma’s.)”

What was the design process like?

“The pavilion project has all the right ingredients to be incredibly special, a lovely engaging client, an interesting and sensitive brief and beautiful garden setting. The early stages of the project were incredibly rewarding and working with the talented Young People’s Service staff and the children and young people was a highlight for us.

“The age range of the children varied quite considerably, so we had some requests of snakes and lizards to be included in the pavilion from some of the younger children, whilst the older ones wanted games consoles. It was a very special experience and it was evident how talented the St Gemma’s team were.

“After a long break in the project, due to Covid, it’s now lovely seeing the building coming to life and we feel incredibly privileged to be a small part of this well needed facility that will have a tangible benefit to the Hospice and the children.”

What are your favourite features of the pavilion?

“The building form and concept was simple, it developed around the programmatic requirement of the brief and a strong response to the site. The concept of the roof providing a protective canopy and referencing the trees in the garden was part of the concept from the outset and we are really pleased with how it’s manifested itself in the pavilion. We think it’s a really successful element of the project.”

You can find out more about our new pavilion here – https://www.st-gemma.co.uk/young-peoples-pavilion