Tate + Co, in collaboration with HTA Design, has designed and delivered the new Visitor Centre in Crystal Palace Park. The Visitor Centre is part of Bromley Council and Crystal Palace Park Trust’s extensive regeneration project that includes the restoration of the Grade II Listed Italian Terraces and dinosaur sculptures, and the creation of a biodiverse and climate-resilient park.

The new Visitor Centre embodies many of the key aims of the regeneration initiative.

Photography: Kilian O’Sullivan

The 195m² flexible space can be used to host community events, meetings and parties while the centre’s permanent exhibition specifically supports the wider commitment to education. The space will be curated to show the layered history of the park, including Crystal Palace, the Great Exhibition and, of course, the dinosaurs.

With multiple functions, the two-tone elevation helps explain how the building is used, defining the public and private areas within.

Photography: Nikita Schweizer

In line with our commitment to delivering regenerative architecture, sustainability was central to the design and delivery of the project. The new building sits on the site of the former Visitor Centre and reuses the original concrete foundations and floor slab, saving approximately 20 tonnes of embodied carbon. Recycling the redundant materials also protected the mature trees around the building from damage.

The lightweight timber frame of the building is externally load-bearing, enabling the space within to be reconfigured if and as required. This built-in adaptability secures the new Visitor Centre’s future relevance.

One of the key features of the new building is the shifting façade. The animated timber shutters bring a sense of play to the building and show when it is active – awake. When the visitor centre is open, the shutters lift and slide, making the building feel open and welcoming. When it closes, the façade settles back down – a creature in the landscape.

Photography: Nikita Schweizer and Kilian O’Sullivan

Nikita Schweizer, Lead Architectural Designer at Tate + Co, explained the thinking behind the design.

“For us, the Visitor Centre needed to feel like it belonged; useful, welcoming and quietly playful so it was designed to be simple, robust and adaptable. The result is a lively and animated building that supports a historic park, its visitors and its future.”

Considering the future of the building, the natural materials will mellow over time to deliver visual coherence with the nearby buildings and natural surroundings.

Bromley Council and Crystal Palace Park Trust delivered this major phase of the regeneration of Crystal Palace Park, one of the UK’s most important historic parks. HTA Design collaborated on the project as Lead Consultant and Landscape Architect with the works completed by construction company, Maylim.