The Wilds Ecology + Envac Centre

On the eastern edge of London, Barking Riverside is a new residential neighbourhood developed by London and Quadrant (L&Q) and the Mayor of London as a part of the Healthy New Towns programme, an NHS initiative dedicated to supporting healthier and connected communities with high-quality services. The Wilds is a multi-purpose community space within that development where residents and visitors can learn about local ecology.

The building houses a key part of a site-wide, Scandinavian-inspired waste collection system supplied by Envac, the largest of its kind in the UK. The system comprises domestic collection points on the pavement connected by an underground vacuum pipe network, ending at a terminal station within The Wilds. It dramatically reduces the noise, pollution and vehicle miles associated with collecting household waste, and eliminates the need for refuse storage on each property.

The architecture of The Wilds is a statement of intent for a more sustainable future. The BREEAM Excellent-certified centre achieves a 37% reduction in operational carbon emissions through the implementing of high fabric standards and renewable and low-carbon technologies, including a mass timber superstructure.

The centre is embedded in the verdant landscape of the surrounding ecology park, and utilises natural, low-impact materials. The lower levels, which house the Envac station, are clad in reclaimed stone-filled gabion baskets. The upper floor has an exposed glulam and cross-laminated timber structure, encased in an exterior of folded weathering steel in a warm, earthy hue.

Weathering steel detailing appears again in furniture, sculptures, gates and lighting throughout the surrounding park, helping to integrate the building contextually. Accessible from the neighbourhood’s main pedestrian and cycle routes, The Wilds opens onto a terrace that leads to a walled, wildlife-focused garden, featuring reedbeds, wildflower- and wet meadows, marginal and ornamental grasses, trees and climbing wall plants.

Inside, the building contains a community co-operative-run café and for-hire exhibition and events spaces. There is also a co-working area for local residents, along with incubator offices for startups. To date, the spaces have been used to host a free programme of workshops with a focus on sustainability, ecology and wildlife. Biophilic design throughout includes a moss wall in the entrance hall – centring plants and natural materials – that support a nature-first vision in which community wellbeing is married effectively with ecological enhancement.