Nature Interpretation Centre

Stover Country Park Nature Interpretation Centre//

In Stover Country Park, Devon, UK, the Nature Interpretation Centre, opened in 2000. The space offers classroom facilities for school groups as well as high quality displays interpreting the wealth of plants and wildlife found in the park. 

Within the centre there are two CCTV camera links, one to a fixed camera in a nest box and the other, user controlled with a joystick, to a camera on a pole in the lake showing the unusual and changing perspective of the park.

Function of the Centre//

• The Centre enhances the visitors’ use and understanding of the Park, acting as a point of contact between the visitor and the County Council Rangers.
• As it is well located at the entrance to the Park it gives visitors information about Stover before they embark on a walk or activity.
• Visitor Centres give people confidence about exploring the countryside and provide a comfortable environment to start off their visit.
• The Centre consists of an interpretation area and a classroom providing a base for the large number of school and college groups who visit the Country Park every year. Within the interpretative displays a Close Circuit Television transmits live pictures of the wildfowl on the lake back to the Centre.
• The displays were designed thematically so that a particular conservation message is subconsciously being put across to visitors. Interpretation is the art of communicating the significance of cultural and natural sites to the visiting public. It is essentially a process of informal learning which is more about provoking and inspiring people than instructing them. Thematic interpretation is based on a ‘theme’ which is the specific message to be communicated. Each new element is consistent with, and a further elaboration of, the main theme. Research shows that themes help people remember and understand material presented to them.

Sustainability of the Interpretation Centre//

• The centre was designed to blend into the woodland surroundings, and have a minimal impact on the local environment.
• Habitat removal was limited. 
• By building the centre off the ground, the foundations were in the form of a small number of concrete pads which support the feet of the building. This meant that excavated ground material and incoming concrete amounts were minimised. Where possible the building was constructed using materials which were either recycling or reusable, e.g. timber, glass, rubber tiles and recycled newspaper for the insulation.
• The reduction of the ongoing energy usage of the building was an important aspect and has been considered carefully. The positioning of windows on all aspects of the building maximises natural light entering the building and saves energy by reducing the need for internal lighting. 
• Natural ventilation via the windows and doors. 
• A system of heat pumps drawing energy from the lake has been adopted, connected to an under floor heating system.

Lighting, Signage and Display Practice//

Lighting incudes ceiling lights and probable spot lights. Being a sustainable interpretation centre I think the space relies of natural lighting through high wall windows as it has a high ceiling stud. The space is very much interactive and educational. It appears to have text and interactive objects at both a child and adult level and this will help with  the density of the information so that different age groups can understand. They have used the display of hanging birds in the space making the outdoors feel indoors. The space uses the theme of outside to help in communicating the key messages about the outdoors. A Close Circuit Television is inside the centre which transmits live pictures of wildfowl on the lake back to the centre. This feature is quite a nice idea as the public wouldn't be able to get this close to the wildlife otherwise. The cameras also on a joystick allowing the uses to change perspective on the park. Of which there are two of them. 

http://www.devon.gov.uk/interpretation_centre

http://www.rtpi.org.uk/media/10082/Stover-Country-Park-Newton-Abbott.pdf