The Winston Churchill Centre for Learning and Education

 

The Winston Churchill Centre for Learning and Education

Built to mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion, this Centre includes an education room, providing a place for future generations to understand Britain’s role in the Battle of Normandy and learn lessons for the future.

Built from pre-fabricated timber panels with a cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof, the new building houses two educational exhibition galleries telling stories of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, curated by The Royal British Legion. It includes a classroom for use by schools from the UK, France and beyond as well as a shop and a café.

We developed the pavilion’s low-energy concept alongside Atelier Ten, before developing a fast-track construction strategy with Eiffage, Savare, Spie batignolles and Polyform Studio. The building was assembled in a matter of weeks using off-site prefabricated panels, with all works from ground-breaking to fit-out completed in only five months.

The Centre is free-of-charge to visit and helps to fulfil the Normandy Memorial Trust’s ambition to allow future generations to learn from the events of summer 1944 and keep alive the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The Centre is built on the site of the British Normandy Memorial, which commemorates the D-Day landings and subsequent campaign to liberate Paris. We were the engineers and urban designers for the Memorial and our work won the FIDIC Contract of the Year Award 2021 (the International Federation of Consulting Engineers).

The formal opening of the new Centre was a key feature in the 80th anniversary of D-Day commemorations on 6 June 2024 and was officially opened by their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. It was funded through a £600,000 donation from BAE Systems, as well as contributions from the Ministry of Defence; the Normandy Region; the Department of Calvados and the Seulles Terre et Mer Community of Communes.

Client: Normandy Memorial Trust
Architects: Barker Langham