Aggregate Industries adds natural curb appeal to £5m Sherwood Forest visitor centre

Opened at the end of August, the stunning new £5m visitor complex in Edwinstowe will provide vital information on the area’s rich wildlife and woodland as well information on the Robin Hood legend to the 350,000 people who visit the popular nature reserve each year.

The project, developed by an RSPB-led consortium, together with Nottinghamshire County Council, includes flagship facilities such as a shop, a café with an outside terrace, an amphitheatre as well as a play area for children.

Given its status as one of country’s best-known landmarks, it was important for the design and build of the visitor centre to enhance the area’s natural surroundings as much as possible. As such, one of the key requirements for contractors Woodhead Construction and R.N Surfacing when it came to surfacing the drop off point for visitor coaches, was sourcing asphalt to complement the resin bond golden gravel used on the rest of the site.

Cue Aggregate Industries SuperColour Ultra, a range of distinctly coloured asphalts, which uses a translucent penetration grade, resinous hydrocarbon binder. The special binder is readily pigmented and provides a wide range of asphalt colours.

Using its recently-opened SuperColour sampling lab at the company’s Express Asphalt plant in Doncaster, Aggregate Industries created two samples to R.N Surfacing in natural and buff.

After testing out the samples to ensure they met the right specification and performance, the contractor eventually opted for the natural colour. Overall, Aggregate Industries supplied 60 tonnes of SuperColour Ultra in natural, which unsurprisingly achieved truly impressive results and led to one happy client.

Victoria Smith, general manager of Express Asphalt at Aggregate Industries, said: “As an area of outstanding beauty, it was important for the new visitor centre at Sherwood Forest Country Park to be in keeping with the natural surroundings, including the materials used for landscaping and surfacing. With a selection of high performance asphalt materials at our disposal, including different colours and performance properties, we’re delighted our bespoke SuperColour Ultra succeeded in achieving the naturally appealing look and superior performance the client was after.”

Amy Stamford, Quantity Surveyor at Woodhead Group Said: “Due to the high profile nature of this project, it was vital for us to work with a supplier offering innovative asphalt solutions, with extensive colour and performance capabilities. I’d like to thank Aggregate Industries for delivering a first class service throughout - by providing us with bespoke samples of their natural coloured asphalts, we were able to practically test out and decide on the best possible solution to help us meet the client’s unique aesthetic brief.”

Aggregate Industries’ marketing-leading SuperColour asphalt range boasts a wide choice of coloured asphalt surfaces, including reds, greens and yellows, all designed to harmonise with site surroundings.