Mark Wray Architects won the open design competition for a new Visitor Hub at Langley Vale Wood in Surrey.

Langley Vale is a 640 acre site in Surrey on the edge of the M25 and near the town of Epsom. The land has been chosen as the location of England’s First World War Centenary Wood. The Trust intends to protect and manage the existing mosaic of habitats, including ancient woodland and open grassland. The WT also plans to plant 200,000 native broadleaf trees at the site, to commemorate the efforts of all those involved in the First World War.

The design by Mark Wray Architects was felt to have responded most effectively to the site and to the Woodland Trust. The panel felt it was an imaginative and beautiful scheme which would demonstrate well how mankind and nature can co-exist.

“This project has been a great opportunity for a new practice to realise a highly visible public building. Each of the three shortlisted schemes were all stunning in their own way, making the judging process challenging. The selected project was highly imaginative, simple, practical and of its place, while clearly communicating the ethos of the Woodland Trust. I very much look forward to seeing it built. Congratulations to the winning team and commiserations to those that so nearly made it.”

Sarah Wigglesworth, RIBA Adviser