The skeleton of a new building will appear at Durley Chine at the end of the month.

A large timber frame for the Durley Environmental Innovation Hub’s main building is to be craned into place with the completed building scheduled to be open next year.

The hub has been designed to be a space dedicated to achieving a step-change in the reduction of waste  and elimination of single use packaging across the BCP Council area. It will feature interactive displays and link closely with the Leave Only Footprints campaign.

The hub main building is being built to Passivhaus standards – a recognised build-design meeting high environmental standards. The design decreases the energy needed to operate the building. This is achieved through high levels of insulation and efficient heating, cooling and ventilation technologies. Recycled newspaper will be used to insulate the main buildings on the site. Solar photovoltaic(PV) panels will be used to provide power to the site with a new connection to the grid. Bris-soleil architectured shades will provide cooling to the rooms below in summer, and allow solar gains in winter.

Cllr Mohan Iyengar, portfolio holder for Tourism said: “This is a key moment for this landmark environmental build on our seafront. The hub will be a part of how we pursue our environmental vision.”

Most of the materials used in the construction of this project have been obtained locally, some from recycled sources. Similarly, many of these materials are recyclable for future use. Material recycled from former groynes along the seafront will be used in the cladding of the main building and in the construction of the decking area and fencing.

The walls of the kiosk and toilet block are already completed. These are constructed using low carbon concrete forming layers of different textured local sands and aggregates reflecting the geological layers in the cliffs along the seafront.

Behind the building, on the canopy roof and within the decked area, planting will complement the natural vegetation on the cliff. As well as being visually pleasing, this will also create opportunities to benefit local biodiversity, carbon fixing and reduce surface water run-off.

During the craning works, the promenade will have a one-week diversion. Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to safely pass the site using a temporary hard surface while heavy machinery is operating at the site.