Scolton Manor

Posted on Tuesday, November 1st, 2011 at 5:14 pm

Scolton Manor Country Park, Near Haverfordwest. This octagonal timber framed pavilion set in the grounds of an 18th century Manor House is the Visitor and Interpretation Centre for its Wildlife and Countryside but also illustrates and explains the unique construction  and energy regime of the building itself.

As an educational resource it provides an example of sustainable construction, low energy design principles and the application of appropriate technology. It is powered by passive solar heat gains, natural daylighting, photovoltaic and wind turbine electrical generation with an earth sheltered battery housing, together with solar hot water heating and backup LPG gas fired condensing boiler heating from underfloor emission.

The building has display panels explaining the systems integration and building construction and the visitor can interrogate the system in real time to discover the various ambient or active input energies etc., via a keypad operated, computer system.

A full triple pond sewage and grey water treatment system, with rainwater storage and recycling for WC use has been created in the nearby woodland landscape.

The dramatic central space is structured with green oak poles up to 6.5m in length of 150 mm diameter and 250 mm octagonal green oak uprights supporting the clerestory glazing and roof spire. The building is topped by a flying owl weather vane, the owl being the logo of the park. The park is owned and managed by Pembrokeshire County Council.

See: The Architects Journal article dated June 1993 and AECB Building for a Future, article dated Winter 1994/5

The building gained both a CCW award in 1995 and a Prince of Wales Award 1994.